Bound to Tomorrow
by Capturing Flags
Summary: Absense makes the heart grow fonder... This is my take on what happens when Kagome returns to the feudal era after three years gone. Will InuYasha and Kagome express their love? Will fate once again tear them apart? Rated T for violence and adult themes.
1. The Beginning

_He couldn't believe it. This was too much like the dreams he had night after night. Out of nowhere he caught her scent on the wind and out of the well she appeared, just like she always had. It has been three years since he last saw her. Three years without his beloved Kagome. All that time he wandered the forest near the bone-eaters well, the image of her face always lingering in the back of his mind. As much as he wanted to see her again, although he knew he needed her, it was impossible. He was prepared to live the rest of his life alone; waking up in the morning after a dream about holding her and finding his arms to be empty. But now, her scent, the softness of her hands, her deep, chocolate brown, tear brimmed eyes that gazed at him, no, **through** him…it was too real. When she spoke, her voice was just as he remembered, smooth and angel-like. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, were you waiting?" It had felt like an eternity he had waited, and he couldn't hold back any more. He pulled her against him and held her in his tight grip. His strong arms wrapped around her, binding her body to his. He buried his nose in her soft hair and inhaled the sweet scent that had haunted his dreams for so long. "Idiot." He chuckled, "What have you been up to?" _


	2. Homecoming

**2 - Homecoming**

The last few days felt like one big day meshed into one. Everything happened so fast I barely had time to process all of the new information. Sango gave me a summary of the last three years that I had missed. All the while, the twins scurried into the hut and left flowers and pebbles and empty snail shells in my lap, little treasures they wanted me to have. Sango admitted that not a whole lot had happened, things were quiet in the feudal era for the most part. With Naraku gone, people could rest easy, and so they did. She didn't mention InuYasha a whole lot because he was always somewhere nearby, listening most likely. But on my third night back in the feudal era, Sango and I took a walk up to the hot springs. Sango told Miroku to keep InuYasha busy and convince him not to follow. I suppose a part of me wanted to know what Inuyasha had been doing while I was gone, but at the same time, I would have preferred to hear it from him. Yet, the three year gap felt so menacing. It seemed it would be too overwhelming to explain everything that we had been doing while we were apart.

After I came back through the well, InuYasha and I walked down the hill to the village. We held hands and just smiled at each other, as if we were hoping our eyes would explain everything we didn't have words for. We hadn't spoken much at all, I have to admit. Since my return, I've been endlessly bombarded by people in the village wanting to show me things. Kaede keeps dragging me away to introduce me to people, villagers want me to bless their children, or the crops, or their cat. InuYasha has been distracted too, by the twins who always want someone to chase them, and by Miroku who needs someone with a big sword to slay demons for him. I think Inuyasha realized there was no chance we were going to get any privacy so he backed off. People just didn't seem to get it, wasn't three years a long enough wait? When the two of us finally managed to be alone, it was short-lived. Maybe if I could talk to Sango about it tonight, she would be able to disperse the villagers long enough so me and InuYasha could get away. Be alone together for the first time in three years.

The heat of the water seeped into my bones and soothed my tired body. I sighed quietly and sank deeper into the warmth.

"So," Sango said, "I haven't heard anything about what you've been doing, I've been answering all of your questions!"

"Well, I finished school." I said, hoping that would suffice as an answer. It didn't.

"And how was that?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Ok, what else." She gestured her hands encouragingly.

"Oh, I spent a lot of time with mom, Souta, and Grandpa." I really couldn't think of anything better than that. It was embarrassing because an accurate answer would be that I sulked around most of the time, thinking about him. Whenever I wasn't busying myself with cleaning something or doing homework, my mind cycled through the guilt, the depression, and wondering what they were all doing over in the other time I was no longer a part of. It got so bad that sometimes I'd run up to strangers on the street whom, from behind, reminded me of Miroku or Sango or Rin. I'd get all excited and call out their names, as if there was any possibility in the infinite universe they could be walking around in Tokyo. I never saw anyone that reminded me of InuYasha, he was too unique, but he haunted my dreams all the same, nearly every night.

"Well I suppose you want to know about InuYasha then?" Her question snapped me out of my space-out.

"Um, well- I mean, I-I guess I - yeah." _Wow. Good answer_.

Sango giggled. "Ok, ok, I get it." She paused, looking up at the twinkling stars for a moment. Then her face became stern. "It was strange, when he came back from the well. He seemed… different. We tried to get him to talk to us, but all he said was that you were safe, and that other people needed and loved you, not just him. They were noble words, it seemed he was strong enough to move on but...We were worried about him, you know. He wasn't himself, that was for sure. It was like everyday another part of him faded away." She glanced at me to read my expression. I gazed into the murky water. She continued.

"He took long walks- Be gone for days, eventually it turned into weeks. He'd sit up in that tree by the river and just stare at nothing. He was completely unresponsive for a long time. Eventually he started to revert to his old self, once the twins were born. And he helped Miroku with his work sometimes. But he still always looked so sad. Whenever someone would mention you, he would either just get up and leave or would get really angry, yelling and stuff. I wanted to do something, but it was like comforting a rock wall, plus I had the twins to take care of. Miroku tried to talk to him but it didn't do any good-" She stopped abruptly and looked at me. I must have had a terrible look on my face because she suddenly became apologetic.

"Oh Kagome, I'm sorry- I shouldn't have-."

I lifted my head in confusion and felt drops of water stream down my cheeks. I put my hand to my face, and sure enough, I was crying and hadn't even noticed. "No, no - it's ok, I wanted to know, remember?" I forced a little smile and tried to avert her attention from me. "He did at least talk to you right? Maybe open up to Kaede?"

Sango hesitated but then answered. "Well, I mean, yeah, he wasn't completely aloof. I think he talked to Kaede, and he kept the twins occupied sometimes." She nodded and smiled softly, only for a moment. "Shippou told me he's been going to the well a lot for the last couple of months…" She paused again. "I'm really glad you're back Kagome, I don't think he would have made it much longer."

Poor InuYasha. I thought. That's not what I thought he was doing. I was thinking he might be traveling a little bit, to make himself stronger, and help people with the power of his Tessaiga. Move on, meet new people, _live_. I wasn't all that happy either, but I still went to school, I still talked to friends, and I stared into space, but I didn't do it for weeks!

I immediately felt guilty. "I had no idea. Oh God, I feel terrible." I murmured into the steamy water.

"What?" Sango leaned towards me. "Kagome! This was not your fault, _he_ sent _you_ back remember?"

I shook my head. "I was so happy to be home. When the well closed up, it stayed sealed because of my feelings at that moment. It was my fault." The tears streamed down my face again.

Sango shifted uncomfortably and leaned her back against the cool rock. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," She said.


	3. Kiss me

**3 - Kiss Me**

_A cool breeze fingered through his long silver hair. The thick robes he wore dangled towards the ground and looked a blood red against the black water. His wrists rested casually on his knees and his bare foot tapped anxiously against the tree branch. The moon was a mere sliver in the night sky, but still cast an eerie glow over the still water of the lake. Tomorrow was the night of the new moon, his human night, and the dim light shadowing the land seemed to be mocking him for it.  
__His fists clenched and unclenched. His foot tapped. His clawed fingers rapped against air. This was ridiculous. He was dying to see her and she was just up the hill, yet he was sitting here. Why couldn't he follow them? __**Why**__ did it seem like he hadn't even been with Kagome yet? WHY was Sango suddenly so possessive of Kagome? He glanced in irritation down from his perch in his tree to the monk who was standing there with his head tilted up looking right at him, where he had been for the last hour._

"You're not leaving InuYasha. If you go and get Sango mad, I'm going to be the one to receive the force of her wrath." He scolded.

"Keh. Like I care!" Inuyasha yelled down to him. "This is stupid! I don't get it! Why is Sango-" He cut himself off and crossed his arms turning away from Miroku.

"Why is she stealing Kagome away from you?" Miroku suggested and then chuckled. InuYasha scowled down at him as he laughed. "It's woman stuff, I don't understand it either." He sighed and slid his back down the trunk of the tree until he sat on the ground. "She'll be back soon, don't be so impatient…and selfish." He mumbled the last words under his breath, but they didn't go unheard.

"Selfish! How am I being selfish?" Inuyasha snapped defensively. "It's not just Sango, but everyone's been crowding her. They're the ones who are being greedy! I've barely even talked to Kagome since she came back!"

"I'm sorry, was it not you who said there are others who need and love Kagome?" Miroku stated with a twinge of mockery in his tone.

"Hey, I have no problem with going to find her anyway, I don't care what Sango does. You can't stop me."

"I don't doubt that. But patience is a virtue. Trust me, you'll get your _turn_ with Kagome." He voiced it provocatively.

Inuyasha grumbled and looked back across the water. _Stupid Miroku, always treating me like a child just because he thinks I'm naive when it comes to intimacy. As if. At least I never tried to take advantage of Kagome or any other woman for that matter. Damn right I'll get my turn. And I'll spend it wisely, too._

Suddenly, he caught that familiar scent on the wind, Kagome's scent. Cherry blossoms and vanilla. Too damn alluring for words; pleasantly intoxicating is as close as any definition gets. He tuned all of his senses to her. He heard her soft footsteps walking across wood flooring, heard the smooth flesh of her legs brush together as she walked, he could almost feel her soft skin on his fingertips. Her heavenly scent teased him, he could almost taste it.

Then, the sound of bare feet bounding across tall grass and wind whirling past silk and just like that, she was standing there at the base of the tree, blinking up at him. Her pale skin shimmered in the moonlight and her eyes sparkled, he wondered if it had it always been this hard to take his eyes off of her. She wore a pale lavender silk night gown, he believed it was Sango's. Her dark hair cascaded perfectly over her shoulders and swept graciously down her back. She was stunning.

"There you are," She chirped, happy to see him.

"Ah, Kagome, good," Miroku stood up and stretched exaggeratedly. "I had a feeling InuYasha here was getting a bit annoyed with me." He looked up at InuYasha for confirmation, InuYasha only grumbled again. Miroku rolled his eyes and began walking back to the village. "Well, good night then." He called back to them.

Kagome watched him go and then peered back up at InuYasha, who was peering down at her.

"Well, are you gonna leave me down here or are you going to make me climb up by myself?" She smiled up at him.

He jumped swiftly off the branch and landed soundlessly on the balls of his feet beside her. In the same expeditious movement, he scooped her up in his arms and sprang back up onto the branch. Slowly, he deposited her small figure into his lap and wrapped his arms around her bare back. Alone with her at last.

Kagome groaned softly into his chest. The sound made his ears twitch curiously.

"What?" He asked.

"Dizzy." She murmured.

He chuckled, "Dizzy huh? I guess we're going to have to work on that."

She smiled and snuggled deeper into his chest. He welcomed the closeness and held her tighter, leaning over her slightly and resting his chin on the top of her head. He realized that now would be the perfect time to start spilling his soul to her, but in the pure bliss of the moment, he kept his mouth shut. The dream that he had had every night for three years had come true. Finally, he held her in his arms and was surrounded by her sweet scent. She shivered slightly and he pulled her closer, wrapping her in his robe of the fire rat. She gripped his shirt in her fists and cuddled closer if that was even possible.

"You're so warm," she said sleepily.

The comment caught him off guard, but the sound of her voice was irresistible, the surprise turned immediately to joy.

"Tired, aren't you?" He asked, though it was pretty obvious to him that she was exhausted.

She shook her head anyway and denied it. He smiled and tucked her head gently into the crook of his neck. A few minutes passed and he waited as she fought off sleep. He didn't understand why she was being so stubborn.

"Kagome, why don't you rest for a little while. I can hold you right here, I promise." She didn't answer. "Please?" He would beg if he had to, he just wanted to cradle her like this while she slept.

"I don't want to," she pouted. Her voice cracked and it sounded like she was crying.

InuYasha stroked her hair, confused and concerned. It never made sense to him why she just started crying sometimes, but it was extremely frustrating that she was upset and he was too baffled to know what to do.

"Why not?" he asked softly. There was another long silence and she didn't answer, but then-

"I feel like I'm going to wake up."

That was all she said. It left InuYasha feeling very confused. So he just held her there somewhat stiffly and also stayed silent. _Wake up? Well of course she would wake up, it's just sleeping._ He wished she would tell him more, it was nearly impossible to determine what Kagome was thinking. Miroku told him once that women were like puzzles: after a while you get better at figuring them out, but, in the meantime, it's hell. InuYasha hated puzzles. The pieces were always too small and impossible to match with other pieces and he never got any hints. Then, even after hours of slaving away over it, the picture was usually unimpressive and non-satisfying. Kagome never bored him, but he wished so badly that he had some kind of cheat sheet that would tell him what the hell to do in these situations. He was sure that once he figured out what was bothering her, that he would feel fairly content. But he was already squeezing her so tight against him, what else could he do? He hated seeing her upset, he wanted to absorb all the pain she felt.

He peered down at her and wiped a tear away with the his thumb. "It's okay Kagome, talk to me," was the only thing he could think of to say.

"This is exactly what happened in the dream I've had every night for the last three years," Her voice sounded so weak. "I always woke up right about now." Her fist was clutching his shirt with such force her hand trembled.

_So __**that's **__it, huh? _He thought. He let out a deep sigh. Her dream was practically the same as his. It began and ended the same, them reuniting at the well and then vanishing in each others arms. It had drove him crazy all these years. But he knew this was real. Her perfection couldn't be imagined.

He gingerly took her hand out of it's death-grip on his shirt. "Kagome, you're not dreaming," he spoke as quietly as he could for it seemed like a the slightest noise would startle her.

She paused. "Prove it," she whispered.

InuYasha froze for a moment, "How?" He was also whispering.

She turned her head and gazed up at him with those deep brown eyes that shone brilliantly in the moonlight. They seemed to seep right through his soul, exposing every thought, penetrating every corner of his heart. Waves of heat rolled over him as he stared at her, time stopped. The heat rose then cooled, rose, then adjusted again. She balanced him. There was no hatred, no pain, no sadness, just Kagome and her mysterious power to captive him beyond words. He needed her. With all his being, he needed her right now. Three years was an eternity, but this moment felt longer. He waited for her answer with bated breath, how could he prove it to her? How could he make her believe that it wouldn't all disappear? How could he convey all his love to her in one moment? How much he missed her, thought about her, dreamed about her? To prove it. To prove it. There was only one way he could think of. His heart pounded. His thoughts blurred. Every one of his senses was focused on her, the only thing in the world that mattered.

His Kagome.

"Kiss me." she said.


	4. Perfection

**4 - Perfection**

_"Kiss Me," she said._

InuYasha's brain scrambled frantically. _**Kiss her**__? Oh God. Okay, I want to. __**She**__ wants me to. But I feel frozen. What the hell is __**wrong**__ with me.? Those eyes, those beautiful, petrifying, perfect eyes, its like I'm holding an angel! Do I deserve an angel? She thinks I deserve an angel, right? Or else she wouldn't have told me to kiss her. Hold on, did she __**tell **__me to kiss her? Or did she __**ask**__me to? There's a difference. If I don't, will she be upset? Well, I'll beat myself up forever if I don't, but still, was it a question or an order? Okay, so I kiss her. What if she doesn't like it? What if I hurt her? What if stupid Miroku is watching right now and I'll never hear the end of it? Wait, Who cares about Miroku? This is about Kagome. Kagome and I. I and Kagome. Right now. No one else. Uhhhhhh… DAMN what do I do?  
__

His jaw had dropped slightly, he was looking down at her utterly dumbfounded as he weighed his options, and his face showed it. Maybe a whole two seconds had passed, but his train of thought was already spiraling out of control and into the gutter. He found himself thinking about how this situation was going to end. He had to admit he didn't have experience in this department, so he couldn't say that he would have control over the situation. He had kissed her once before, or rather, she kissed him, but that was out of desperation to keep him from becoming a full demon. She said she loved him, was that out of desperation too? He had almost kissed her several times… almost. One time she freaked out and pushed him away, but the other time she didn't, her little brother just happened to burst into the room. It was half and half, deadlocked. In other words, he had no idea what to do.  
_

After the first seconds of no response, Kagome began searching his face for an answer. She knew she wasn't dreaming, but the emotion… finally being with him was transporting her back to her own time, to those dreams, where she was alone. It was terrifying. Here was the ultimate example of déjà vu, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. She waited for him to lean forward, he didn't. She waited for soft pressure on her lips, there wasn't any. It was as if he were about to vanish into thin air and this would become her worst nightmare all over again. She gazed questionably into his eyes, they had become soft yet calculating, as if he was assessing her reaction as well. Kagome was too tired to wonder why he wasn't pouncing at the opportunity. Okay, bad word choice-but why _wasn't_ he? Her eyes started to droop slightly, she blinked a few times to clear the blurry film that was beginning to form over her eyes. He didn't once take his eyes off her, he was just… staring. _Inuyasha, what's wrong?  
__

If he waited too much longer he was going to miss his chance. Three years of waiting for this moment and it made him so happy he couldn't move? Is that what was happening? He was getting mad at himself. It was reminding him of one of those moments in a battle where he couldn't decide whether he should use the Wind-scar or Backlash Wave, he had to play the battle field first so he could find out. But once it comes down to a decision, he only has one chance to do it right. If he doesn't use the right attack, the enemy is going to have enough time to attack and potentially, kill. So he has got to pick one, hopefully the right one, and then move on from there, even if he's uncertain. _Why am I comparing Kagome to the enemy?  
__

The weak light from the moon didn't quite reach him, a shadow covered his face. Golden orbs glowed in the lack of light. His long hair brushed against her cheek as it waved in the wind. She couldn't read his expression anymore, but it looked kind-of like it had that night they almost kissed in her bedroom. Had that been a look of longing? She hadn't been paying attention. He still had a tight grip on her body; one arm wrapped around her upper back and held her up to his chest, his hand was clutching her shoulder. The other arm dipped down across her body and that hand was placed firmly on her waist. How long have we been like this? She considered telling him that he didn't have to, that he should just forget it. She didn't expect him to take this long, and just because she was tired didn't mean her self esteem couldn't be shattered. He had already proved she wasn't dreaming, the moment she stepped out of the well and took his hand, she knew it was real. For in her dreams, there was no warmth, and there were no strong arms pulling her close. _Kissing was simply a suggestion, that's all, just the icing on the cake, but it's not __**necessary**__. If you aren't gonna do it, then let me fall asleep and die!  
__

_She must be confused. What the hell am I doing? My entire body is tingling like crazy! I want to, I know I want to! Maybe that's the problem, I want it too much, and my instinct is telling me to calm down; but I'm not calming down so I'm freezing up! She's so fragile, I wouldn't want to- Damn it! Don't think anything nasty! It's a kiss! I can do this!  
__

_Inuyasha, this is stupid, I shouldn't have asked. I understand if you don't kiss me. I just wish I knew why you are holding back. I'm perfectly happy with lying here in your arms. As long as you allow me to stay here like this, I'll be happier than you'll ever know.  
__

_Okay- she looks really confused. This seemed so much easier all those years ago in her room, when we were alone just like this. I was in complete control then, hell, even eager to kiss her and never break away. Does she think I don't want to? Shit! Pull it together and make a move damn it!  
__

_I should stop looking at him. He probably just doesn't know how to say no. I should rest my head back against his chest and pretend I never said anything. God, a few minutes with InuYasha and I'm already making a fool out of myself! Look away. Look away!  
__

_She's gonna give up on me. This is my chance!  
__

_Inuyasha, you do love me, don't you?  
__

_I love her, I love her more than I can stand! I will tell her, but right now I need to __**show**__ her!  
__

Inuyasha…

Kagome…

Before either of them knew it, his lips were against hers. The pressure was firm, but gentle. Neither of them moved. Only the sound of the wind blew around them as the moment sunk in.

Feeling more comfortable, Inuyasha finally relaxed his shoulders and let out his held breath through his nose. His one hand left her waist to support the back of her neck, pulling her gently forward. He leaned in over her to deepen the kiss and press their bodies even closer together.

She let her body relax and tilted her head slightly, finding it easy to simply do what came naturally. Necessary functions, however, seemed to stall. Her lungs were empty and she could hear the blood swirling in her ear from holding her breath.

Their lips parted and she gasped for air. The sound of their staggered breathing blended together in a sort of chorus. Kagome giggled to ease her own tension.

Inuyasha's heart fluttered at the sound. He rested his forehead against hers and then eased his lips closer, a smirk curving his mouth. _Laughing at nothing…again. _He lowered his lips to hers again, relishing every second that her lips brushed his and sent electric jolts through his entire form.

His lips barely touched hers at all, restraining any aggressive movements that would ruin the bliss. Allowing her more room to breathe, his lips hovered just above hers before he would briefly make contact with a few chaste kisses.

Her heart felt as though it would burst. The pure emotion she had never felt before weld up inside of her. She liked they way they were, just like this. Once again she forgot how to breathe.

Inuyasha paused for a moment to look down at her. "Kagome, it would be great if you could breathe normal. You're freaking me out." He murmured, before claiming her lips with his.

She laughed against his lips. "Sorry." She mumbled when he broke away again. She sighed, blowing her sweet breath over him. He cradled her closer to him. Kagome sighed and whispered his name as she pulled herself up to wrap her arms around his neck. He enclosed his arms around her, shielding her in his grasp. He could hear her blood as it surged through her body. It smelled sweet to him as it always had, only a thousand times better than that. It was like his own personal scent that only he knew. And his craving for it is what made her his.

He turned his head towards her ear and whispered, "I love you, Kagome." His hot breath made her shiver as he spoke so close to her. She felt his arms tighten around her as he tucked his head down and nestled his face in the crook of her neck.

She smiled to herself as tears of joy streamed quietly down her face. The most perfect moment of her life had made it's close with the three words she had been waiting for all this time. _See? That wasn't so hard to say, was it? _She thought. Usually her over-zealousness would have her squealing and wiggling with joy, but somehow she stayed calm. She knew her dreams would hold no fear, and right before sleep claimed her, she whispered back, "And I love you, Inuyasha."

Then, it was black.


	5. Dreams

_I was wandering through a thick forest, the tree branches above me drooped over the trail, creating a long, shady tunnel. I felt like I new where I was going; like I was focused on something and was looking for it, except, I didn't know what it was. I just kept walking, almost robotically. The trees began to spread out around me, but it remained as dark as it had been in the forest. Suddenly, I was in a large clearing. I recognized it as the small clearing near the sacred tree. I stood there, alone, was I waiting for something? Someone? InuYasha maybe? Then, a deep voice broke the silence, right behind me. "You caught on faster than I realized. Such a mysterious power you have, Kagome… It's a shame really." It felt like tunnel vision. I hadn't even sensed him behind me and my focus was blurring. My mind was screaming, "Run away! Hurry!" but I was frozen in place, like every nerve in my body was on hold. The screaming in my head morphed into a screeching, tearing sound; which I realized in horror that it was the sound of flesh ripping apart. Pain seared through every vein of my body. It was the most excruciating thing I had ever felt. Fire and ice attacking my body simultaneously. My legs gave way and I was falling; his vicious laughter rang in my ears as I drifted back into the black._

I flailed my arms frantically, screaming and kicking. Everything remained dark. I was fighting even though I knew I was already dead. Hands were grabbing me, holding me down. A voice I knew was saying my name repeatedly, but the blackness would not let up. It was consuming me, swallowing me whole.

"Kagome! It's okay! Wake up!"

I snapped my eyes open. I did a quick sweep of my surroundings, darting my eyes back and forth, and then focused on the face in front of me. Inuyasha.

He was leaning over me on the floor. His sturdy hands were gripping my wrists and his eyes were searching mine.

"Kagome, it was just a dream, its okay." He looked scared himself, concerned, but also frantic.

My breathing was still trying to catch up with whatever the hell had just happened, my chest heaved slightly with every gasp. I eased back onto the ground, I couldn't stop my body from trembling. He lifted his grasp on me, but moved closer.

"You're safe, I'm right here," he said as he wiped my forehead with his sleeve. "Kagome, relax." It sounded like on order, like if I didn't relax he was going to assume that I was dying or something or needed urgent medical attention.

I tried to get a hold of myself, but started crying instead. I hadn't been that terrified in my entire life. But why? Where did that all come from? And why did it feel so real?

Inuyasha swept his arms under me and pulled me onto his lap. "Shhh." he whispered. He combed my hair back away from my face with his hand. "It's alright."

I cried silently into his robes. I couldn't stop. What in the world was happening?

I heard someone running across wood and I tensed, the sound was like thunder cracking.

"What wrong? What happened?" It was Sango. She rushed into the room as soon as she saw me. "Inuyasha, what's _wrong_?" she questioned again with fear in her voice.

"I don't know!" He spoke in a harsh whisper. "She was fine and then she just started screaming." I felt him rocking me back and forth slightly. I shut my eyes as tight as I could and tried to think about something else, but found no success. I felt sick now, the nausea was building up in my stomach.

"Kagome, sweetheart, look at me." She sounded like my mother. Well, she was a mother, and I found her voice to be soothing. I kept my eyes shut however. Her cool hand pressed against my forehead. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah, probably, she was sleeping when it started."

I realized the conversation was between Sango and Inuyasha, and I was the trembling little child in the middle. Their words made no sense to me. It was like falling asleep on the couch, when the sounds of the voices on the TV start to echo and drift away until it's just buzzing in the background. But I wasn't tired; I wasn't even _there_. It felt so surreal, like a scene from a movie.

"I'm going to go get Kaede." I heard Sango scramble to her feet and run out of the hut.

"Kagome, it's going to be okay." Inuyasha tightened his arms around me and continued to rock me back and forth. The sound of my tearing flesh was on replay in my head. And that voice, that menacing voice, it was haunting. I shivered despite the warmth that radiated from Inuyasha's body. He dipped his head into my neck and whispered my name, but the other noises in my head had amplified so I could barely hear him.

For the first time in three years, I wanted to wake up from this nightmare.


	6. Doubt

Kaede wanted to lay Kagome back down on the ground so she could look her over, but Kagome flinched and yelled "no!" every time someone tried to pry her away from me.

"Come on, Kagome, just for a minute." Sango said.

Kagome turned away from her and buried her face in my chest.

"_Why_ is she being so _stubborn_?" Sango looked at me, she looked entirely frustrated and flabbergasted at the same time. I didn't answer her question. I was clueless too; I had no idea what to think of her screaming fit or her stubbornness, but honestly, I didn't mind that she was intent on staying in my arms. Whatever made her happy, I didn't care.

Yes, I wanted to know what she had dreamed about; I'd never heard her, or anyone, scream like that. She sounded like she was in pain, physically being harmed. My Kagome, being _tortured_. The sound had vibrated through my bones. It traveled like a static jolt up to my brain which then generated the assumption that I was going to run back into the hut to find someone beating her with sledge hammer.

And she didn't stop, even after I tried to snap her out of it, she just kept kicking me and lashing her arms all over the place. She was terrified, and I wanted to know why.

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha! Hello?" Sango was waving her hand in my face.

I snapped my head up.

"Would you maybe like to contribute to this effort?"

I processed the question for a moment. "Yeah, why don't you guys take a break and go outside for a minute, let her rest for a little longer." I tightened my hold around Kagome, Sango looked ready to grab her and run. So damn possessive-

"Inuyasha-" she was going to argue, of course.

"Yes, that seems like a good idea." Kaede cut her off and moved toward the door.

"But- wait! I-"

I shot her my 'quit-complaining-and-leave' glare, just like I used to when we first met and were still on a "I hate your guts" basis.

"If something- no, _anything_ changes, I want to know. You hear me?"

Jeez, "Yeah, yeah, I _hear_ you." As if it was possible not to.

She stood up swiftly and stormed out of the hut like a bat out of hell. She still got so hissy all the time, I didn't understand how Miroku dealt with it. Maybe he _liked_ "receiving her wrath", sick bastard.

After they had left and I was sure that Sango wasn't stalking around outside the front door, I turned my attention back to the frail form that lay in my arms. Her breathing had slowed, her tense body had relaxed substantially, the only thing that hadn't changed was that she was crammed so tightly in my lap that I couldn't see her face.

"Kagome, it's alright." I spoke in the softest voice I could. "Please talk to me, what happened?"

When she didn't answer me I tried leaning over to lay her back on the mat but she fussed and clung to me tighter. "Kagome…" I eased back again, placing her into my lap. Damn this was infuriating.

This was, by far, the most difficult puzzle I had ever encountered.

I waited there for a long time, I resumed rocking her gently in my arms and I stroked her soft hair. I didn't think the silence would be so unsettling, but it was.

Finally, she said something. But it was more of just a statement of the obvious. "I had a bad dream."

I was just so happy she was responding, I didn't want to unnecessarily upset her, but due to my curiosity and concern, I had to ask.

"I know that, but what was it about?"

She paused for a moment.

"I was running from a bear…" It sounded more like a question than an answer.

"What?"

"I was running from a bear."

"That's why you were screaming?"

"No."

"Then why-"

"It caught me." She had lifted her head away from my chest but was still looking down. She was twiddling her thumbs too.

I didn't have to be able to read minds in order to figure out she was completely _under_-exaggerating things. "You're a bad liar, Kagome."

"I am not."

I tried my hardest to sustain a laugh when she said that. She sounded just like she always did whenever we used to get in fights that ended with my face making abrupt contact with the ground. I risked it anyway.

"Are too."

She looked at me then, her shimmering eyes practically knocking the breath right out of me. She prolonged the eye contact for only a moment then looked forward again and crossed her arms.

"Who says? How would you know?"

Her expression was priceless. "Because the Kagome I know has dreams about running away from math problems, not bears. Don't tell me you were screaming bloody murder because you were being chased by a _bear_." I noticed she cringed slightly when I said "bloody murder."

"It was a BIG bear!" She yelled.

"Oh, was it?" I suppose I may have added in a bit too much sarcasm.

She glared at me and then tried to get up. I held her where she was.

"Inuyasha, let go!" She beat her fists on my chest and pried at my arms. I didn't even budge, which was a good thing, but also a bad thing. I didn't necessarily like being able to completely overpower her, so I let her go. She stumbled to her feet and started for the door, but I blocked her way so fast she had to do a little double take, it was adorable.

"What now?" She growled.

"I don't like it when you keep secrets from me Kagome."

"I never keep secrets from you!"

"Then tell me what happened this morning!" I didn't mean to sound angry, but I had to grit my teeth to keep from yelling.

"I already did!" Apparently, she had no problem waking up the whole damn village.

I wondered how we transitioned from kissing passionately in the moonlight to glaring each other down in such a short amount of time.

I stood there, blocking her way. She scowled at me, I scowled at her; oh yeah, this was fun.

"Kagome-" I thought about reasoning with her, about coming up with a good excuse as to why I _needed_ to know. I thought about tickling the truth out of her, or perhaps seducing her; whether I could pull that off or not, I didn't know. I thought about dropping the subject all together. But then I thought about how terrified she looked when she first woke up. I thought about how she trembled out of fear and cried in my arms.

"Kagome - Please."

I watched her shrink from a headstrong stone into an open book right in front of me. What do you know, that word really is magic.

Her lower lip trembled a bit, then she lunged forward and clung to me. I automatically hugged her back.

"I was dead." she murmured.

The words punched me right in the stomach. "Wha- What do you mean?"

"I was alone, and then suddenly there was someone behind me and- I was dead."

I swallowed thickly, she dreamed someone killed her. Stuck up behind her and took her life out of nowhere. She was alone…. "Who?"

Nothing. Silence.

"Kagome, _who_?"

"I don't know. It wasn't you if that's what you're thinking."

Actually that was exactly what I was thinking. It sounded too familiar. I had nearly killed her so many times, I was surprised she hadn't dreamt about it.

"It felt so real. I could hear him, feel him cutting me. I-I couldn't move. I couldn't-" a quiet sob cut her off.

I felt like _I_ couldn't move. Anything that could cause her to scream like that, cause that kind of trauma, it must have been…graphic. And did I just hear her say _him_? That set off an alarm, a loud one.

I felt useless. I had done a crappy job of protecting her in the past, and I couldn't protect her from her dreams no matter what I did. "Kagome, I am so sorry."

She leaned closer to me. "It's alright."

"No, it's not-"

"Inuyasha, it isn't your fault."

I was about to object to that when she started to say something else.

"Besides… I feel safest with you."

I was speechless. I had never really thought about whether Kagome felt truly safe with me. All I knew was I felt safe and complete with her.

"Lets just move on from it, ok? It was just a dream, you're right. I'll explain to everyone else." She peered up at me, her eyes twinkling with tears, but she smiled softly.

I wasn't so sure about that idea. I loved Kagome, and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, I was very uneasy about just forgetting about her pain. Plus something didn't feel right. I highly doubted this was what her dreams were like frequently. It didn't help that I would be in my weakest and most vulnerable state tonight, during the new moon. So no, I wouldn't drop it. But for now, I let her think her pouty-puppy face had persuaded me. I allowed her to believe she had won.

I followed her as she took my hand and led me outside into the morning sunlight. I watched her face light up with a brilliant smile when Rin came running towards her holding a baby turtle. I watched the way the little yellow spring flowers brushed against her feet as she stepped nearly soundlessly across the moist grass. I reluctantly watched her wave and run over to Sango to tell her some half-empty story about how, in her dream, a huge bear had come out of nowhere and stolen her math books.

Even after all of that terror. After she had been obviously disturbed by something more than your ordinary nightmare, she still managed to wear a smile. A smile that was…contagious. It was impossible not to smile back at perfection like her. Her enchanting presence made her undeniable, like a moth is drawn to a flame. Her face glimmered in the bright light, her laugh rang beautifully in my ears. Her angelic voice called my name.

May I be damned to hell if I ever let anything hurt her again.


	7. Transition

Transitioning from a half-demon into a human was always an agitating experience for Inuyasha. It started with that pulsing feeling that he also got when turning into a full demon. Then, his hair turned black, his claws recoiled, his sharp fangs became dull, his eyes faded to a hazy gray color, and finally, his ears relocated to the sides of his face. It wasn't painful, just irritating. He could feel his strength and energy depleting and he knew he would be stuck with this powerless body until sunrise. It had proven to be a very long and burdening period of time in the past. Due to potential risk factors, Inuyasha had made it a condition to isolate himself from society during his human night, just incase some overconfident demon decided to take their chances. Usually Inuyasha went deep into the forest, the uncertainty of the setting kept him alert and focused. But with Kagome now back in the village, he didn't dare go any further than the rice fields near the border of the forest.

Inuyasha got slowly to his feet. He hated being here. Surely after all this time, if a demon had wanted to take him on, they would have done it by now. It had to be safe for this one night. Kagome's presence was just too alluring. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

He had told Kagome to stay in Kaede's hut over night. Kaede would make the most educated choices if Kagome were to have another dream like she did last night. But still, he wanted to be the one to help. He wanted to be the one to hold her and comfort her. Though, he _was_ stranded here by his own choice.

He stepped out onto the front porch of the hut. The sun had just set, causing the cursed transformation, and the final darkness was settling over the land. Fireflies came happily out of their hiding places and flickered in the darkening corners of the forest. An owl broke the silence somewhere in the blackness. Footsteps hurried down the gravel path in the very close proximity.

Inuyasha jerked his head up to see Miruko trotting down the path with a big grin on his face that looked almost maniacal in the glow from his lantern. "Good evening Inuyasha. Enjoying the benefits of being inferior and powerless on this fine moonless night?" Miroku smirked. He loved playing these games with him, and he felt it was safer with Kagome around to keep Inuyasha maintained. However, Inuyasha found it highly un-amusing.

"Hey, Miroku." He scowled. "Where's Kagome?"

"Hmm. I don't know, haven't seen her. By the way, what happened between you two last night after I left? You seemed plenty… cozy this morning." He arched one eyebrow.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and glared suspiciously at him. "None of your business." He warned as menacingly as possible.

Unwilling to put up with the monk's banter, Inuyasha sauntered off in the direction of the village.

Miroku waved provocatively and called after him, "You go get her, lover boy!" He chuckled quietly to himself. "Ahh, youth," he sighed. He followed slowly while keeping at distance, not wanting to be close enough to Inuyasha's fist.

As Inuyasha approached the main trail to the village, he saw a strange object floating through the air towards him. It was waving and calling his name. Shippou, the little fox demon, was drifting in the wind on a little paper bubble lantern

"Hey Shippou!"

"Hi Inuyasha! Guess what! I advanced a rank during exams today! Sensei said I've improved on my imitation technique and-" Inuyasha quickly poked the paper bubble and popped it, grabbing the small kitsune by the tail.

"Yeah that's great- have you seen Kagome?"

Shippou squirmed in Inuyasha's hold. "Kagome would be excited for me! Why aren't you happy for me? You're just crabby cause you're a human tonight! Kagome will-"

Inuyasha bonked him on the head with his fist.

"Answer my question!" He growled through his teeth.

The kitsune cowered even before the normal, human Inuyasha and stuttered "N-no I haven't seen 'er, okay?"

Inuyasha then promptly dropped him and was off again, leaving Shippou sitting on the ground whining, "Heyyy! Waaait for meeeee!"

As Inuyasha headed towards Kaede's hut, he asked several villagers if they had seen Kagome. They all had the same basic answer. "Ah, Kagome! Good girl. Seen her around, but not today. Sorry. Lady Kagome is blessing. Good girl, got good legs…"

This was starting to bug Inuyasha. Not especially the villagers, who were admiring Kagome's legs, but the fact that obviously, no one had been paying enough attention to have seen her at all! Or maybe she just wasn't _around_, that was the little detail that was nagging at him. _Where is she?_

He rushed past the huts in the center of the village, the only lights came from the torches lit about the buildings, the roads, and the fields. Other than that, it was pitch black.

Kaede's hut was the one at the end of the row. He jumped up onto the porch in one bound and knocked quickly on the door frame before bursting in anyway. Kaede sat on the floor. Breathing deeply in meditation. She made little "ohmm" noises and hadn't even seemed to notice Inuyasha's entrance.

"Kaede." He inched towards her, his eyes did a swift sweep of the room. Kagome wasn't here. "Kaede- Hey." He reached out and poked her in the shoulder, anxious to ask her about Kagome.

The old woman swiftly slapped his hand away and asked in a crackly voice, "What is it Inuyasha?"

"Where is Kagome?"

"mmm… Kagome stepped out a few minutes ago, said she was going for a walk. Why ye be here Inuyasha? Decided 'tis time for a new tradition on the night of the new moon?" She opened one eye and looked at him, obviously restraining a smile.

_Ug. You've been talking to Miroku no doubt. _Inuyasha thought.

"Keh. What are you babbling about? Just tell me which way she went." He was getting impatient.

Both her eyes snapped open then. "I don't know." she said matter-of-factly. "But I think my tea is ready." She stood and hobbled to the kettle.

_Jeez, that's the last time I leave her with you. Thanks a lot._

"Well I'm going to find her."

"Alright dear, have fun." Her eyes were transfixed on the tea in the kettle as she stirred it slowly. Inuyasha grumbled and stepped back outside.

_Shit, where the hell are you Kagome?_

He looked up and down the road. Could she have gone looking for him? Did she go to the hut? Did she go in the forest? Oh God, if she went in the forest- Perhaps the well? Can she even return to her own time anymore? She hadn't mentioned it. Before he jumped to too many conclusions, he knew there was one place left to check. She had to be there. She had to be.

When he reached the hill below Sango's hut, he saw Sango was out in the yard, hanging up laundry. No Kagome.

He raced up the hill as fast as he could, grabbing hand-fulls of grass to propel him up faster. Panting slightly, he hurried around the twins, who were dancing around his feet, and continued toward Sango.

She noticed him weaving through the billowing white sheets and called out to him, not at all surprised by his visit.

"Hello InuYasha!"

She noticed the slightly exasperated look on his face, then her two children, who were grabbing and tugging at his clothes.

"Sorry, I was going to try to put them to bed, but they got into the cupboard this morning and ate some coffee beans. You should have seen them after that! Bouncing off the walls like little monkey demons! I don't think we're going to get them to bed at all tonight unless-"

"Have you seen Kagome?" He cut her off abruptly, having not really been listening to whatever it was she was saying. He glanced around the yard and tried to see in the house. She wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Sango didn't appreciate being ignored, but was used to it when it came to Inuyasha and Kagome. They had been each other's first priority as of the last several years she'd known them. She sighed and reached down to pick up the last piece of fabric still in the basket.

"I thought she was with you."Her expression was calm, there wasn't any sign of automatic concern.

She didn't have that protective instinct that suddenly "clicked" and plummeted her into a frantic state, but Inuyasha did. She wasn't nearly as paranoid, or possessive, or protective, Inuyasha was.

His eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat, and he could feel the blood drain from his face.

Sango wasn't afraid of this kind of thing like he was. She didn't exaggerate the possibilities, and well, neither did he. He used logic. Every moment that he stood there, and the reality set in, another image came into his mind about where she could be, what danger might be in. Every thought was a possibility, and every one made his heart skip a beat. He took off running towards the well.

Sango yelled after him in confusion, "Hey! What's wrong?"

He didn't answer. This was bad. Very bad.

_You should never leave her like that. Never allow her to go without your protection. Because you do, and look what happens, she's gone, just like that. You're naïve and assume that when you ask the most reliable people about her whereabouts, that they are going to say: 'Oh, Kagome is out picking flowers with Rin,' or 'She's just over at so-and-so's house.' But when they say something different, and the circumstances are just right, (such as, the single most important person in your life had a shrieking episode of terror that morning, your demonic powers have diminished to diddly-squat, and the only weapon you are familiar with is useless) that unexpected answer punches you in the stomach and fear immediately has you in a choke-hold. _

_No, when Sango, of all people, doesn't know where her best friend is, something is definitely wrong. _


	8. Control

Cold. I was cold. I could feel a strong wind was whipping through my hair and my dress, it's ice-like fingers gripped at my bare arms and legs. Something was brushing against my feet, leaves or grass? Was I walking somewhere? My eyes felt like they were closed, but I could see, though the images were blurry. Definitely, I was walking. I tried to stop- my body didn't respond. I felt so strange. A muted buzzing sound was humming constantly in my head, it almost sounded like a million voices whispering to me at once, meshing together. My body felt so tired, yet I couldn't stop my feet from stepping.

The memories were coming back to me now. I went outside to walk around the pond near the village. I laid down in the grass under the stars and considered going to find Inuyasha. Then, did I fall asleep? Was I sleep walking? I was trying to wake up, but I hadn't ever slept walked before so I didn't know how it worked. I tried to pinch myself, my hand didn't obey. I was trapped in my mind and my body was moving on it's own. This couldn't be sleep walking, could it? It was too…persuasive.

Suddenly, I stopped. I realized that my hand clutched something thin and wooden. I stood there, completely stiff, apart from my fingers that began to maneuver the object in my hand. My thumb grazed something sharp, I pressed too hard and I felt blood pooling and then dripping. I had to break free from whatever this was, before it got any weirder.

Right on cue, it felt as if I was struck by an invisible lightning bolt. My legs collapsed and I hit the ground, hard. The buzzing had stopped, I felt that I had control over my actions again, my vision had focused to normal. I took a moment to assess the situation as I lay on the ground. I felt numb, my pulse was racing, and my strength had literally evaporated. As if that wasn't enough to worry about, I recognized where I was. I laid about one hundred feet from the sacred tree. It was very dark, and I was alone. None of this felt right to me in the first place, and it was even more distressing that I was now as vulnerable as a possum in the middle of a busy highway.

After taking a few minutes to panic, I steadied my wobbly arms against the ground and clenched the damp grass with my fingers. Slowly, I lifted myself up until I was sitting up, leaning on my arms for support. A wave of dizziness flooded down through my body, but I managed to hold myself up. I waited in limbo for it to pass.

Then, I had a terrible revelation. Taking a closer look at my surroundings, I noticed certain similarities that image mimicked precisely, down to each chilling detail. The clearing near the tree, the darkness, the isolation. I looked to my right and saw a obscured path that opened into the clearing. The spiny branches of the naked birch and oak trees curled over the thin path, bathing it in an even deeper darkness than that in the clearing. This scene was an exact duplicate of the dream I had last night, and I couldn't help but remember how that dream had ended.

The fear coursed rapidly through my veins, my breath escaped my lungs in quick puffs until I held it completely to listen. There was only silence. The leaves that had rustled loudly in the wind were still. The frogs that were usually croaking in a grand chorus were quiet. Only the darkness threatened. Every one of my senses was alert, however, the skeptical part of my brain told me it would not be enough. I was a sitting duck to whoever was watching me from somewhere in the shadows. And it definately felt like someone was watching. Despite my frozen limbs, and my panicked thoughts, the voice in my head spoke one word, "Run."


	9. Situation

_...the voice in my head spoke one word, "Run."_

Branches smacked across my face and legs as I ran frantically from the clearing. I had dove into the trees, not really bothering to find a path. I just knew that the village was due north from the well and so that was the direction I ran in. Scrambling over fallen trees and high roots, I wasn't getting very far very fast. I wondered if it would even help to scream. I looked over my shoulder several times, I couldn't see a thing, only the black silhouettes of stumps and branches. My own breathing was so loud it was making me paranoid, I thought there was someone else breathing right behind me. My heart beat in my ears like a drum of war. There was no light. I stuck my arms out in front of me, but I hit my head on low hanging branches anyway. The fear was turning my legs to pudding and making me a total klutz. Finally, I came to the path that wound around the outside of the forest and cut through the flower fields. As soon as I felt my feet step onto the hard packed dirt of the trail, I took off like a bullet. I forced my legs to move faster towards light of the village, I could see the faint glow through the trees. I was not going to die out here.

Then, as I drew nearer to the place where the trees cut off and the field stretched out over the hills, I allowed myself one last glance over my shoulder. There, in the middle of the trail, just in the overhang of shadows, a figure stood. He was completely motionless. Just standing, staring. My stomach jumped into my throat. The fear was so strong, I felt like I was going to vomit. As my legs began to freeze up again, he began to walk forward, his gait was wide and slow. This could not be happening. This could not be happening! I shut my eyes tight and turned away, breaking into a run again. _What is he doing? Is he going to kill me?_ I did not want to look my murderer in the eyes as he took my life. While some would like to take the image of their killer's face with them, I am not one of those people. I was going to keep running until he killed me. Unlike in my dream, I got a chance to run. Who was he? Was he human? How fast is he? Is he just playing with me because he can stop me before I even make it to the fields? I realized that it was now or never, if I was going to scream, I might as well do it now.

* * *

I was about half-way up the trail to the Sacred Tree when I heard it. A scream. It was Kagome.

I stopped abruptly, a shiver shot down my spine, then I turned on my heal and sprinted in the opposite direction, towards the source of the sound. I knew that kind of scream. It wasn't surprise or mild fear; it was a scream of pure terror. She was in danger.

"Kagome! Where are you?" I called into the dark. I had to let her know I was coming, and I had to let the bastard who was after her know it too. No matter who he was, no matter what night it was, if he was still there when I got there, or if he even thought about hurting Kagome, I'd kill the son-of-a-bitch.

I leapt over a fallen tree and careened across the field. The fear of losing Kagome was propelling me with faster-than-normal-human speed. I willed my legs to leap further, my arms to swing faster. Please, just get there in time. I can't lose her!

I gunned around the corner where the forest jutted out into the field. I had to be almost there. All I could see was Kagome's face in my mind. My anger and desperation flared. This right here, was my worst nightmare.

"Kagome! Scream again! I'll find you!"

Nothing.

* * *

I didn't dare look behind me, 'Just keep running' was all I told myself. I practically rolled down the steep hill at the opening of the forest. Then, I jumped across the stream at the bottom and kept going. I had to be getting close, but I still felt hopeless, this chase was draining me of everything. I was crying now, there wasn't an emotion I wasn't feeling. Fear, petrifying fear, anger, regret, sadness, desperation, a flicker of hope that only existed because of the light from the village that had to be over the top of the next hill. I scrambled up and over it, pulling up chunks of grass with my hands as I clutched the earth. As I approached the top, I threw myself to my feet and turned around, scanning the landscape for my pursuer. He wasn't there. I didn't see him. _Oh God, where is he?_ I spun around in a circle. In the process, making the terrifying discovery that the village was blocked by yet another peninsula of forest. I forgot about locating him and ran down the next slope into the trees.

My breath was heaving, and my chest ached. I don't know how long I had been running, but my body was obviously not used to it. My bare feet burned every time they pounded against the ground. They were probably shredded like Swiss cheese by now.

I hadn't been in the Feudal era in three years, and I had to honest with myself, I had no idea where I was going. When you are running away from someone to save your _life_, you don't pay attention to the destination as much as you focus on keeping a distance between you and the guy chasing you. This entire attempt to run was most likely futile. Normal humans don't go wandering around in forests at night. They don't leisurely traipse after you during a pursuit as if they know they can catch up to you in a heart-beat. Not that I wanted him to have started running after me full speed when I first saw him, hell, I probably would have just died of fright. But the way he went about following me was eerie, and non-human. Lastly, I happen to know that normal humans don't just disappear out of nowhere. Either he was a freakish ninja, or he was something _else_.

I'll admit the dream was disturbing, and I had considered it one of the most scary experiences of my life. But somehow, I had broken my own record in the same day. This was _infinitely_ more horrifying. Reality usually is.

Just then, I heard the voice. The voice of the one person I knew would always come for me. Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Scream again! I'll find you!"

My fleeing feet came to a stop. His voice shocked me. He was coming for me, I hadn't even thought about counting on him to get me out of this nightmare, but he came anyway. Tears burst from my eyes. "Inuyasha!" I yelled as loud as I could. "Inuyasha! I'm over here!"

A twig snapped right behind me. I froze. The entire forest froze. My heart scrambled to steady itself, but it beat wildly. Against my better judgment, I turned to face the sound that came from the darkness. There were lots of stumps that could be passed off as people, but there was only one form off to the side that had clearly defined arms and legs. He was maybe ten or so steps away from where I stood. Motionless, he glared at me. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his gaze. It seeped through me like icy, black water as it drowned me.


	10. The Stranger

_...He was maybe ten or so steps away form where I stood. Motionless, he glared at me. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his gaze. It seeped through me like icy, black water as it drowned me._

_

* * *

_

_Thank God, she answered me. _She was in the trees right ahead of me. I raced forwards to the edge of the trees.

"Kagome, where?"

Silence.

"Kagome!"

Nothing.

I burst through the dense forest, continuously calling her name. Just one sound, just one, I would find her, I had to. I couldn't see a damn thing however, I blinked frantically to adjust my vision faster. What in the hell was she doing in here?

I tripped over a upturned root, tripping was not something I was used to. Nor was such a poor sense of smell, or this useless vision, or this depleted hearing, or this lack of speed and strength. All I could do was fumble through the forest, hoping for a scream to provide direction and a miracle to keep my beloved alive.

"INUYASHA! PLEASE HELP!" The blood-curdling sound rang in the darkness. It was petrifying. She sounded absolutely panicked, like whatever attempts she was making to get away were failing fast.

I veered left, following the sound. She was heading out of the trees, running from something.

"Kagome! Hold on! I'm coming!"

* * *

"NO..." I whimpered. Backing away until I felt my heels hit another stump, I didn't take my eyes off him. It was horrifying to look at him, but also horrifying not to. It's not a good idea to break eye contact with a psycho murderer. His head turned, following my movement. He stayed still other than that, his dark form so close and so menacing. I heard Inuyasha calling my name. He wasn't close enough. He wasn't going to be able to save me. And even if he did get to me in time, I did not want him to face this man, not for me, not at all. I couldn't take any more, I turned and jumped over the stump, racing away as fast as I could. I pumped my arms faster, pushing off from the ground with all my strength. I jumped over another tree and broke into a clear spot. When I looked back again, he was still standing there, watching me. My stomach churned, he was messing with me on purpose.

"INUYASHA! PLEASE HELP!" I was shrieking now, this was too much.

"Kagome! Hold on! I'm coming!" I couldn't tell where he was or which direction he was in. His voice echoed through the trees.

I mumbled a prayer through my teeth as I made a mad dash for the light that was glowing brighter through the black silhouettes of the trees, they looked like jail bars. Was this forest meant to keep me locked in for eternity? Was this to be my death bed? How ironic. _Ka-go-me, Ka-go-me, you are a bird in a cage._That chant played over and over, I think I was on the brink of insanity, hysteria, something.

I thought I heard someone trudging behind me, I ran faster. Screamed as loud as I could. My legs were giving up, my lungs were drying up, so was my hope.

Practically launching myself off a fallen tree, I braced myself before I tumbled to the ground. I stood, picking up momentum again. I broke free of the tangled branches of a willow, and there it was. A strait shot. The distance: maybe half a football field long dash down the path, out of the trees, and into the field. Not that I was positive that this crazy stalker wouldn't follow me out of the forest, but at least we'd be in the open. I could run without getting hit in the face by mother nature.

Just as I pumped my remaining energy to my legs and feet, preparing to make the final push to the finish line, a dark figure suddenly leapt onto the trail a few feet ahead of me. I couldn't stop soon enough, and I fell right into his grasp. He grabbed my wrists and held them firmly. I decided to use the last bit of strength I had fighting him. I didn't care what he was, I would kick, scream, bite, claw, whatever. I wasn't going to go down as the weakling that went down easy.

I lashed my fists at him, getting a jump start on my pointless struggle.

"Let go! Let go!" I screamed and cried at the same time. I realized I was basically pleading for him to spare me.

"Kagome! Kagome!"

It was like a pin dropping, a flame cracking, or fingers snapping. Suddenly, something clicked and I understood. Something snapped and I went numb, the fear melted away and was replaced with a dull apprehension that was barely frantic enough to be called so.

"Inu-Yasha " I paused in shock for a moment, absorbing his presence. I was utterly astounded and relieved beyond words. Then, the fear set in again.  
He stared back at me; no peircing golden orbs. He clutched me tightly; no claws. I could barely see anything in the deep darkness of the night; there was no moon.

I realized we weren't out of the woods yet, literally.

"Come on, we have to go!" I pulled desperately at his arms, trying to drag him away. He stayed put, then started asking questions.

"Kagome, what _happened_?" He looked crazed out of his mind, most likely an after-effect of my screaming. "Who's after you? What's wrong? Tell me!"

I couldn't possibly explain in time. I looked past his questioning, fixated gaze and into the black forest. My eyes were playing tricks on me, the shadows were dancing.

"Lets go! _Please_! Lets just go! Please, Please." I begged.

Reluctantly, he obeyed. He turned and walked backwards between me and the darkness, where the stranger lurked. I couldn't believe that that maniac would let us leave. Was all that a game to scare me out of my mind? Was he trying to make me look like a lunatic who was running from nothing? I backed up faster and pulled him with me. He kept his arm out to keep me behind him.

While still watching the dark trees, his eyes darting quickly from the forest floor to the tree tops, he asked, "What am I dealing with here Kagome?"

I hesitated. I still felt vulnerable. I didn't want to answer questions even though it would make things easier for Inuyasha. There would _hopefully_ be time for questions later. However, with my luck, I'd get cut off mid-sentence when the maniac would suddenly turn up right behind me and finish the job. I fidgeted nervously with Inuyasha's sleeve, jerking my head around to search for any sign of an impending attack. What were we dealing with exactly?

Who was he? Where did he come from? And why did he all of a sudden come after me? What did I do to him? That's what didn't make any sense. He zeroed in on me for no apparent reason, it was random. He just wanted me dead, or he wanted me to squirm, one of the two.

Sometimes I believe in coincidences, but this was not one of those times. This was one ginormous coincidence, made up of little tiny coincidences. And somehow, this guy had slithered his way into my dreams, prior to any incident. I had a bad feeling he was the reason I walked to the well against my will in the first place and the reason I was experiencing major deja vu.

So what _were _we dealing with?

"I don't know." I murmured.


	11. Evil Afoot

I had been concerned by Inuyasha's reaction when I told him I didn't know where Kagome was. While Miroku stayed at the hut with the kids, I walked down towards Kaede's hut to find out what was going on. When I was maybe half-way down, I heard familiar voices yelling in a distressed manor from down the road.

"Inuyasha, NO! Don't even think about it!"

"What if I didn't get to you in time? Who knows what would have happened to you! You think I'm going to just let the bastard get away?"

"I don't want you fighting anyone!"

"What, cause you think I don't have the power to? Why should I let this human body hold me back? I never let it before!"

"You don't need to go starting a fight with a lunatic, OK! Just shut up and forget about it!"

"No way in hell!"

I stormed around the corner.

"_What_ is going on here?"

I immediately noticed their appearance. Inuyasha looked like he had just run a marathon through a jungle, Kagome looked like she had ran three.

"Uhh, ok, is everything…"

"NO, everything is NOT OK!" Inuyasha yelled.

A gust of wind whipped across the field, causing the tall grass to ripple and the nearby trees to moan and crack.

Kagome abruptly jerked her head around and looked towards the dark forest. Slowly, she began backing away, never moving her eyes from the darkness. I decided it was time to be aggressive.

"Inuyasha, what in God's name is going on?"

The anger had disappeared from his features, he was watching Kagome, who had fear plastered all over her face.

Then Kagome murmured, "Make sure everyone is inside…" Her voice was weak and dry. She turned and ran into Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha was about to follow her, I stopped him, pushing him backwards.

"No. You are going to tell me what happened."

"I'd tell you, IF I KNEW!"

"You don't know _anything_? You were with her, weren't you? What happened?"

He didn't look at me, just stared blankly at the door to Kaede's hut.

"Someone tried to hurt her."

He then pushed past me and hurried to the hut. I stood there for a moment, confused, and feeling like the outcast who didn't know the big secret. But I followed after Inuyasha, irritated by the neglect I was given. I was Kagome's best friend, he'd better find out more than _that_.

Kagome was crouching next to the window, peering out through the twine shades. Kaede was standing near the back wall with a grave look on her face. She rushed to Inuyasha as soon as she saw him.

I walked past them to Kagome. When I reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, she jumped and swung her head around to look at me.

Something wasn't right.

"Hey, what happened just now?" I noticed her bloody feet and the scratches all over her body. Her eyes were wild, and fearful.

She shook her head quickly, tears pooled in her eyes. Her lower lip trembled.

"Shh, it's okay." I gently touched her face, her skin was freezing cold and damp with sweat.

Kaede and Inuyasha murmured behind me, Inuyasha's voice exasperated and gruff, Kaede's calm and collected, as usual.

Kaede then turned to us. "Kagome, did you feel threatened by this man?"

She hesitated. "Y-Yes."

"Did he threaten to harm you?" Kaede's demeanor remained calm but Inuyasha was spazing out, looking from Kaede to me to Kagome in a frenzied circle.

"No…. he just…followed me. I can't really explain it, but-" She cut off whatever she was about to say.

"So it was some perverted bastard, we can handle it." I tried to lighten the situation.

"No Sango," I turned and looked at Kagome, her face was stern. The firelight made shadows dance across her smooth, but panic-stricken face. "It's worse than that. Go home to your family. Keep them safe, it's your priority."

I was surprised by her nobility, but I didn't move.

"I'm serious. Go." She slid her hand out of my grasp.

I stood quietly, the warning in Kagome's eyes was chilling and honest. I loved her, but I loved my children more, I wasn't willing to take any chances. I nodded at Kaede as I headed for the door and gave Inuyasha a stern glare. He'd better _get_ some answers before I had to get them for him.

As I stepped out onto the front porch, I heard Kaede say something that made me bolt up the hill to my home as fast as I could.

"I am going to send a messenger to the neighboring village in the morning, they need to know there is evil afoot."


	12. Don't let me go

**12 - Don't let me go**

We stood there in complete silence. I kept my eyes locked on the fire, not wanting to look him in the eyes. Kaede had left to wake the messenger and left us alone.

The fire cracked loudly. I jumped despite myself.

"Kagome, did he hurt you?" He spoke suddenly.

"No." I snapped. As if his assumption that the crazed lunatic would hurt me was unrealistic if not completely out of the realm of possibility.

"Who was it?" He continued.

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"No. Nothing."

"Why you were screaming?"

I remained silent. I wasn't sure I could answer that in confidence. Oh, I don't know, I guess I was just scared out of my mind so I decided to scream my head off in my final moments. But I really just felt like screaming.

Inuyasha brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. He sighed deeply. "Kagome, don't do this to me, please." His hurt and weary tone tore at my heart.

"I'm not trying to hurt you!" I yelled. "I just don't know- I don't-"

"Should I be worried right now Kagome? Is this guy going to come down here any minute and try to take you away? I _have_ to protect you Kagome, and I can't do that if I don't know who I'm fighting!"

"You don't _have_ to protect me! You don't have to do _anything_! I don't _want_ you to fight him!" I was frantic. Tears streamed down my cheeks, I felt sick again. If that guy did come down here, I had to let him take me. I couldn't get everyone else involved. I was his target. Some homecoming present.

"Please. Please, just don't." I begged, my voice was drained of energy. "I don't want you to get hurt…"

Suddenly, he lurched forward and grabbed me, pulling me against him in a warm embrace. I hesitated a few moments, then clutched his robe in my fists and leaned against him out of exhaustion. He stroked my hair softly. I listened to his even breathing and his heart beating as I lay my head on his chest.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?" He whispered. I tried not think about his rhetorical question, I didn't want to know the answer. "I thought I was going to lose you." He squeezed me tighter. "I can't lose you, Kagome." He inhaled deeply as he buried his face in my hair, it made my heart thump faster.

"I'm sorry." The apology was barely audible.

"Don't apologize!" He blurted and his hold on me tensed. Then he let out a held breath and relaxed against me again. "I'm the one who almost failed you, remember?"

"You've saved my life enough times that almost failing doesn't matter." I said. It was true, how many times over would I have been dead by now if it weren't for him, a hundred? A thousand? I nuzzled into his chest and he held me closer. "To be honest, I hadn't even considered that you would come, I hadn't even thought about it until I heard your voice. But you came anyway. You always do." I couldn't help but smile softly. No one had ever been there for me like Inuyasha had.

Just then, Kaede came shuffling back into the hut, mumbling to herself.

"Such a grumpy man in the middle o' the night. Why he be thinking he be getting' paid?" She glanced over at Inuyasha and I. "Pardon, pardon. Ye continue on, don't mind me." She continued her grumbling as she made her way across the room.

I felt my cheeks flushing a little, it was embarrassing getting caught like this. Like a kid getting caught digging in the cookie jar. I sighed softly and brushed it off with a nervous smile.

"Um, maybe we could go outside?" I pushed away from him slightly and looked over at Kaede. She pretended to scavenge for something in the cupboard.

We walked out onto the front porch, the wind had picked up to a consistent breeze. I led Inuyasha around to the other side of the hut where the wind was blocked and the porch faced away from the forest. I sank down to the floor, he did the same, never letting go of my hand.

It was strange how all that horror had faded and was now more of a dull memory. Being with Inuyasha, it changed everything. I didn't have to worry about my safety with him near me. As long as he didn't do anything stupid, like decide to go searching for a crazy guy in the woods…then I had to worry about him too!

I looked down the road at the other huts, their shapes glowing in the light from the various lanterns. I could feel Inuyasha's gaze still on me. It was a good feeling, not a creepy one. It felt like a feather-duster was tickling me all over.

My eyes wandered automatically back to his. He met my gaze with this captivating intensity and I couldn't look away. He kept my crazy little world at bay for me. No matter what, I could find healing in his eyes. But as much as I loved the silence, the serenity, I knew I needed to explain to him what happened. He was dying to know, and questions would need to be answered eventually. Out of all people, he was the one who needed to understand what happened.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"You want to know what I was doing in the woods?"

He nodded his head immediately and scooted closer to me, taking both my hands in his. It was obvious I had his full attention, his eyes bore into me, begging for an answer.

I smiled weakly and tried to laugh, it came out as a quick puff of air and nothing more.

"So do I…" I murmured. I realized he wasn't going to get that. I had to be straight forward. Tell it like it was. "When I left Kaede's, I walked over by the pond. I think I fell asleep…" I paused for a moment, trying to plan ahead exactly how I was going to tell this whale of a tale. "The next thing I knew, I was walking, and I couldn't stop. I thought sleepwalking maybe?" I looked at him and shrugged. I idly hoped this all turned out to be some crazy case of sleepwalking and endless coincidences. I sighed. "Well I couldn't stop, and I ended up at the well. I thought I felt someone watching me and-" I couldn't leave out anything. "And I had cut my finger, with an arrow I was holding. I don't know why, but I did."

Inuyasha turned my hands over palm-up, and looked at my thumb that the arrow had sliced. "You couldn't stop?" He asked his eyes were narrowed and stern. One eyebrow arched up slightly. He was thinking about something, I didn't know what.

"No." I answered, watching him closely.

"But I 'woke up' I guess and… just - freaked so I started running."

I counted the cracks in the floorboard next to me. 1-2-17-

"Was someone watching you?" He asked quickly.

"I don't know, something just felt weird." I think I understood the idea he was getting at, 'skip to the lunatic part.'

"I didn't see him until I got to the path near the fields… he was, uh, standing, on the path behind me."

When Inuyasha didn't say anything, I glanced up, he was looking at a cut on my forearm. Without making eye contact, he said, "And then what? Did he chase you?"

"Well, he just kind-of started walking towards me, not chasing, just walking."

He didn't say anything.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, uh." He rubbed his eyes again. He looked worn out and frustrated. His brows furrowed.

I reached my hand up and cupped his face, his eyes opened to meet mine. I smoothed the worry lines from his forehead with my good thumb. My other thumb had started to burn. I was beginning to feel a lot of post-fight-for-survival pain, now that I was no longer numb from the cold and fear. My skin felt irritated and dirty, my feet were hurting really bad, and my eyes and various cuts stung like they were being branded with a hot piece of metal.

Inuyasha leaned into my hand. He looked so peaceful. The dim light was perfect on him, it made his skin look so warm and beautiful. I hadn't reflected a whole lot on how attractive Inuyasha was, but this moment called for nothing else. He really did look like some sort of god, with his long hair and sharp features. His face sculpted so precisely, and his dark locks framing the perfection. I noticed how strong his jaw looked in contrast with his soft lips. I was having a hard time resisting the temptation to kiss him, though I couldn't imagine why it wouldn't be okay.

Then he leaned back up again. Gently taking my hand in his, he gave it a light kiss and then wrapped his hands around mine. He leaned down and rested his forehead against our clasped hands, sighing deeply. I sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say.

I could sense his frustration and the inner-conflict he was dealing with. Then I realized I wasn't the only one out there in the woods with the maniac/lunatic/perverted bastard. Inuyasha had to be already out looking for me in order to get to me as fast as he did. He must have been nearly as frantic as I was, with his demonic powers gone and having no way to find me, other than listening for my screams.

"What made you scream?" He asked right on cue. However, he didn't look up.

"Huh? Well, um… when I first saw him I guess." Inuyasha didn't move or say anything. This was getting weird, I wasn't used to him listening to me like this without getting a response. "Then when I got to the top of the hill, I turned around to look for him, he wasn't there. I ran towards the village again and right after I heard your voice and called out to you, I heard something behind me." He waited. I didn't want to have to repeat this part. It would sound dumb. All he did was stand there, but it was more than that. I just couldn't explain it. A guy just standing there isn't all that scary, even if you add in a dark forest and seclusion, it's just eerie. But I had been so terrified I could have died. His stone-cold, yet invisible stare was bone-chilling. Every bit of hope, happiness, love, it was all gone in his presence. Only fear had control.

Remembering the image, the adrenaline rush, my mind buzzing with fear, it brought tears to my eyes.

"He was right behind me, I don't know, maybe ten steps away? Too close… And he just…stood there." I whimpered. "H-he didn't do anything, just stared at me like-like he knew he could kill me any time he wanted, and I was all just a game to him. A joke." I sniffed and wiped a tear away with my free hand. "I ran. I thought he would kill me whether I was standing still or running so I decided I would run…" My voice trailed off.

I could tell he had sat up now, but I didn't want to look at him.

"I just started screaming after that…. And he didn't move. He just watched me…" I gazed at the glowing huts again. I tried not to cringe as the images flashed by. It's like I got hit in the face really hard and now every time I thought about it, it made me squirm. And the images just would not leave. They were stuck there, left to sink into my brain like quick sand.

Neither of us said anything else. We were quiet as he shifted closer to me and scooped me into his lap, quiet as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my lips, silent as he held me there until the golden sun peeked up over the mountains in the east. Then, we remained silent as his body pulsed, his hair changed from pitch black to silvery- white, and he was finally given back the strength he needed to protect us both from harm.

The sky had turned a beautiful shade of pink. A thin layer of clouds rippled across the horizon, they too, were tinted pink. A robin greeted the morning with her cheerful song.

I scowled at the light. I hadn't slept all night. My head hurt and my body felt completely limp. I couldn't stop my eyes lids from fluttering shut. I didn't want to sleep, what would dreams hold for me? I was a victim to my dreams, for the past three years, specifically the last two nights. But Inuyasha held me now. I was comforted at least by that.

Before my mind blanked and I drifted off to sleep, I remembered I had not yet thanked my rescuer. I had apologized for making him worry, but he had saved my life yet again without a thank you.

"Thank you for saving me…" I spoke slowly with exhaustion.

I hoped that he would hold me while I slept, so I meant to say, 'Don't leave me alone so I can wander off again' or 'It's okay to let me go, as long as you wake me up first.'

But instead I mumbled softly,

"Don't let me go."


	13. The morning after

**13 - The Morning After**

She told me not to let her go. So I didn't. I picked her up as the morning light grew brighter and I took her inside. Then, I held her there. She fit against me so perfectly, like her body was designed just for mine.

I listened to her breathing, her heart beat. Eventually, I slumped down, tucked my head into her neck and closed my eyes. She was so peaceful now, it was making my eyes feel heavy.

Some time after mid-day, she stirred from her sleep. She blinked lazily around the room until her eyes came to rest upon me. Her face glowed despite the darkness of the hut and her eyes shimmered as she gazed up at me. She was so breathtaking, I swear, one of these days I was going to forget how to breathe.

"Inuyasha?" She said while rubbing one of her eyes.

"Yes?" I murmured, distracted by her fragility.

She smiled softly. "Good morning."

I smiled down at her.

Then, as she lowered her hand from her face, she paused. She stared at her hand blankly, then sternly. I noticed she was focused on her thumb which had the cut on it from last night. She gazed at it almost as if she had never seen it before.

I sighed softly. "Kagome, are you-"

"I thought maybe he would turn out to be dream, too." She said.

My words caught in my throat. What could I say to her? She was nearly killed last night as far as I was concerned. I cringed at how close it was, if I hadn't come when I did…

Kaede had sent the messenger earlier in the morning with a letter of warning she wouldn't let me read. I hated all of this secret bull-shit. It was one thing when Kagome tried to keep things from me, it was entirely different when _other people _wouldn't tell me things that related to Kagome's safety. It was extremely aggravating.

Kaede must have sensed something ominous, or else she wouldn't be reacting so bizarrely. If Kaede got freaked out, that usually meant it was serious, not like she'd tell me though. Kagome hadn't told her anything in specific about what happened. She had only told me. That should have given Kaede means to talk to me about it right? Nope.

As I held Kagome firmly in my arms, thinking about last night, she shifted in my hold and tried to get up.

"Oh, no ya don't," I said pulling her back to me. "You can just rest for a little longer."

"I want to get up." She said calmly. I didn't think she quite understood, I wasn't going to _allow_ her to get up.

"Kagome you had a rough night, take it easy."

She paused and looked at me like she was actually going to obey what I said, but then continued to get up anyway. Her stubbornness was getting on my nerves.

"Kagome, you are not getting up right now! Lay down." I pulled her back onto my lap.

"Why! Why do I always have to keep resting when I don't want to! I'm not a baby, so let me go!" She ordered.

I couldn't help but notice she was acting like an over- exaggerative five-year-old.

I pulled her tight against me. "I can't do that," I snickered to myself.

"And why is that?" She asked, seemingly curious.

"You told me not to." I said flatly.

"Wha-Well I didn't mean for this long! Now I want to get _up_ so stop it!" She squirmed again.

I shook my head slowly. "Nope."

I think we both managed to mature over the five years we'd known each other, especially over the last three we spent apart. But situations such as this were not the best examples of our, well, maturity. She pushed against me trying to get away, complaining and fussing all the while, and I sat there motionless and sturdy as a rock, honestly, enjoying myself.

She nuzzled her head out from my chest and glared at me, her hair sticking up in all directions. I tried to purse my lips together but it was too late, I burst out laughing.

"How is this funny?" She snapped. I kept laughing.

"AARRG. Get _off_!" She whined.

I looked down at her, still trying to stop the bursts of laughter. I saw her eyes lower from my face to the enchanted beads that hung from my neck, it seems she had just noticed those too. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, shit, wait, Kagome!" I could tell by the look on her face, she was about to make mine hit the ground.

"INUYASHA!-"

"Hold on, Kagome!" I knew it was useless at this point.

Just as she began to make the "s" sound. I let go of her and scrambled backward.

"SIT!" She yelled.

My head slammed back onto the floor. I groaned. Why hadn't I hidden those damn beads or something? Well, the cat was out of the bag now. I eased up from the floor and looked at her. She sat in the middle of the floor, her knees bent on either side of her. She was trying to smooth out her hair with her fingers.

"It's your own damn fault," She scolded matter-of-factly. "You should've listened."

"You should've stayed out of the woods last night." I growled, sitting up strait.

She made a gasping sound like she was utterly appalled by my statement, which I'll admit was a little harsh.

"Excuse me?" She squeaked. "I told you I didn't know how I got there, it wasn't my-"

"You're so stubborn sometimes, it's impossible to keep you safe when you always think you can do things on your own." I spat as I leaned forward.

"Uh, that's _you_ remember? 'Mr. Don't follow me, I have to do this by myself?' I just don't like being held against my will, incase you didn't know!" She was clenching her fists.

"It's not that big of a deal, Kagome. After having chased you through the woods all night, you'd think I might get a little bit of gratitude if not compensation for saving your life!"

I crossed my arms and sighed angrily. When I looked at her, I realized I'd just made a huge mistake. Her jaw was tense, her fists were trembling and I felt the force of her death glare. However, her eyes were brimmed with tears.

"Ahh. Kagome, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" I tensed when she stood abruptly, in part because I feared her next action but also because she wobbled a little. I thought she was going to fall. As she turned to walk out the door, I jumped to my feet.

"Kagome, wait, I-"

"If I'm such a _burden_ to you, Inuyasha," her words burnt at my heart. "Why not just ignore my screams next time, and WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS !" She screamed at the top of her voice. And spun around on her heel to face me.

"I-"

"SIT! SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT!"

She stormed out, leaving me laying on the floor, my face kissing the hardwood.


	14. Forgiving him

**14 - Forgiving him**

Miroku was sipping his afternoon tea in his hut when he heard the recognizable sound of Inuyasha's face being implanted into the ground. He couldn't help but smile to himself. He had to admit he missed Kagome's spunk, she livened things up a bit.

After a few minutes, there came a knock on the door. Sango came out of the bedroom and sauntered to the front door.

"Hey Kagome," She said when she opened the door, her face lighting up with a smile. "I heard the s-word."

She immediately noticed Kagome's hurt expression. "Oh, God. What'd he do this time?" She gingerly took her hand and led her inside. "Come on, I'll make you some tea."

Kagome sat down next to Miroku at the table as Sango fiddled through the shelves for a cup. Miroku heard what had happened last night from Sango, he could see the obscured fear still in Kagome's eyes. He had gotten better at noticing these kinds of things about women. The way they blinked when they were surprised, stuttered when they were uncomfortable and the look they got on their faces when they tried to hide their fear.

"So Kagome," He said setting down his cup. "What are your thoughts about the encounter you had last night with this mysterious stranger?"

Kagome flinched and Sango stalked over to him and whapped him on the head with the back of her hand.

"Shut up! Can't you tell that's the last thing she wants to talk about right now! God, you're such a dumb ass sometimes."

Miroku furrowed his brow and rubbed the back of his head. "I believed it may have been in her best interest to discuss such an event so that-"

"No. You believed wrong. So shut it."

Kagome awkwardly averted her gaze to the floor.

"I-" Miroku sighed. "Alright, alright. Kagome, I am truly sorry for asking such an inappropriate question," he made a face when he glanced up at his wife, who was still looming over him. "I'm afraid to tell you that marriage doesn't change a whole lot in terms of female domination." Sango whapped him on the head again.

"Quit it!" She snapped.

She set the tea in front of Kagome and gave her a sweet smile. "I'll go and get you some fresh clothes, okay?" She patted her shoulder lightly before disappearing into the bedroom.

Miroku muttered to himself and shrugged at Kagome once his wife was gone. "Sorry about that… May I ask what Inuyasha did to provoke such usage of the enchanted beads?"

_He really is so nosy_, Kagome thought, but she smiled to herself anyway. "He asked a dumb question." Kagome said smugly. She got up and took the clean clothes from Sango who had suddenly appeared beside Miroku. He gulped and flinched nervously. "mmm… I couldn't help it." He said as he sipped his tea again.

"Uh-huh," Sango stood beside him with her hands on her hips. Without taking her eyes off him, she told Kagome, "You can use the bath in the next room to clean up, _I'll_ watch the monk." Miroku laughed nervously.

Kagome stepped into the small bathroom and closed the door quietly behind her. There was a tub in the corner that was full of water, in the other corner was a Sengoku era toilet (basically a hole in the floor) and on the wall next to her hung a small mirror, and that was it. Kagome was usually able to make the transition to Feudal era hygiene standards fairly smoothly, but running water and a modern toilet would always be nice.

Kagome sighed and walked over to the tub to test the temperature, it was actually fairly warm. Carefully, she shrugged out of the dress she was wearing and noticed it was full of holes and the bottom was frayed and ripped. She guessed that was to be expected considering the circumstances, but it wasn't hers and she felt guilty. After inspecting her body and all of her scratches and bruises, she gazed at herself in the mirror. She was pleased to see that she didn't have a black eye. She certainly didn't look like she had been running frantically through a dark forest last night, apart from one small scratch across her cheek. Her hair was also wild and knotted, beyond what a brush could tame.

As Kagome eased herself into the tub, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming out. Her feet burned like they were being dipped in acid and every inch of her skin throbbed with searing pain. She had noticed her injuries earlier, but didn't imagine that they would hurt this bad. Finally, she submerged herself completely except for her head and tried to think about something other than her tortured flesh. Then, someone knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Kagome tried to keep her voice composed.

"Can I come in?" It was Sango.

"Yeah." She answered.

The door creaked open and Sango hurried in with several bottles, towels, and ointments in her hands. "Hey, I thought I would pamper you a little." She smiled softly.

"Oh, thanks." Kagome spoke quietly without even trying. It was as if her lungs didn't have the energy to output any louder sound.

"I figured you'll need some serious hair care, so I got this soothing herb scrub I got from Kaede and this body wash stuff I've got is great, it's smells like apricots and-" Sango cut herself off. Kagome was looking someplace else far away into the bath water. Her expression looked so sad, it wasn't like her. Sango stepped over to the tub and crouched down beside her friend, folding her arms on the side of the tub.

"Hey, what's up with you?" She asked quietly. "Are you upset about one particular thing or both?"

Kagome didn't say anything for a minute, then she said, "I don't know."

Sango made a face. "Oh, come on sweetie. It's me. I want you to talk to me okay? I want to help."

Still no response came from Kagome. Sango couldn't hold the smile anymore, not with Kagome looking so grim in front of her. "What happened with you and Inuyasha?"

Kagome cringed. "That? It's…ahh…it's just stupid. I don't know."

"What'd he say something bad?"

Kagome just sighed and dipped her lips under the water to blow bubbles. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"That bad, huh?" Sango looked sympathetically at her friend. She knew how much this wore Kagome down. The last thing she deserved was to be yelled at or mistreated by Inuyasha after what happened last night, not that she deserved it at anytime. It just wasn't fair that even when they were obviously in love, she still ended up in tears at some point because of him and his ignorance. She reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Kagome's ear. "You're so pretty." She murmured. A single tear rolled down Kagome's face. Sango wiped it away. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart." She clucked her tongue softly, it was a sound of distaste. "You know, he is so lucky to have you. And I know he knows it, it's just- these things just take time you know."

Kagome sniffed. "He said I should show more gratitude to him because he saved me. That I shouldn't have been in the woods anyway…" Her voice trailed off and she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"He said that?" Sango asked, surprised that Inuyasha would be so careless. Her eyes searched over Kagome's face.

"I didn't mean to anyway. I told him I didn't mean to… he didn't care." She sniffed again and gazed down into the murky bath water.

Sango placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face up slightly. "I'd be willing to bet, that his apology is gonna suck," She said. "But that he's gonna feel bad about what he said for a _long_ time." She paused.

Kagome's bottom lip trembled. Sango leaned over the tub and hugged her friend tightly. But she pulled away quickly when she felt her tense and gasp.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked, suddenly worried. Kagome looked down, aware of an aching pain in her side. "What is it?" Sango reached her hand down into the water and felt along Kagome's arms and then to her waist. Suddenly Kagome yelped in pain and tears immediately burst from her eyes. Sango was scared for her friend. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. Where, what is it?"

Kagome slowly eased herself out of the water by pushing up on the edges of the tub. Sango leaned over the edge and helped hold her up. She gasped when she saw what was hurting her. A large red scrape stretched across her side. It wasn't bleeding, but it was a deep red, infectious color and there was bruising visible around the sides.

"Oh my-" Sango didn't know what to do, touching it seemed out of the question because it hurt her so bad, but it already looked really infected and she had to do something. "How did this happen?" She asked.

"I think I rammed into a um, a branch or … when I was running I felt something jab me, I'm not sure."

"Ok… well, what can I do, it looks infected Kagome."

"I know, I'll take care of it."

"Kagome…"

"Really, it's fine."

Sango sighed. Her friend seemed to be danger prone. This wasn't the first time she had been injured due to the actions of some lunatic. If there is some random guy in the woods, Kagome's probably gonna find him. What pained Sango about it was that Kagome never wanted anyone putting themselves in harms way for her, in fact she hated it. Sango had heard Inuyasha and Kagome arguing last night in front of Kaede's. Inuyasha wanted to kill the bastard and Kagome wanted him to forget about it. And now that they had yet another fight, Kagome couldn't even tell him how much pain she was in, physically and mentally. It wasn't fair to either of them, cause it was just pointless anger, but it wasn't fair to Kagome because she needed him to be on her side and be strong for her. It was irritating to watch sometimes. But a smack upside the head wasn't going to change anything and unfortunately, neither was plowing his face into the ground.

Although concerned for her friend, Sango let it go for the time being. She conditioned Kagome's hair for her and brushed it until it was like silk again. She put some ointment on her feet. Then, she helped her out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. After hugging her tightly but more carefully this time, she left Kagome to change and tend to her wounds herself. "Just tell me if you need anything, k? I'll be right out here."

"Ok, thank you Sango." Kagome smiled back at her, thankful for everything she did for her.

After Sango left, Kagome dried off, she tried to medicate the scrape on her side but couldn't due to the incredible pain. She gave up on healing herself faster and knelt down to put on the clothes Sango gave her. It was a petite cream-colored dress about knee-length with the sweater Kagome wore on the day she came back to the Feudal era.

The dress was very pretty, she didn't understand why Sango was giving her all of her nicest clothes. She held it up to herself and admired the way it felt against her skin, silky and smooth. Once she was dressed, Kagome looked at herself one more time in the mirror before she went out to sit with Sango on the porch and accept nature gifts from the twins.

* * *

Back at Kaede's hut, Inuyasha lay on the floor, his head propped up on one hand, and he rapped his claws against the floor. He spoke on and off to Kaede who was half listening as she mixed an herbal remedy over a crackling fire.

"I didn't mean to come off so mean, you know that right? I was just trying to get her to lay the hell down!" He scoffed.

"Perhaps your persistence was not appreciated as you may have thought. Kagome is a strong girl, she didst not want to rest so she could only think of events from the night prior."

"Psh. Yeah well, it was annoying. I could smell blood, and I wanted to help her, but she's so damn stubborn, what the hell could I do!"

Kaede sighed, beginning to feel agitated. "If ye be so concerned about Kagome, why not go find her and apologize so-"

"No way in hell." He spat.

When she didn't reply, he looked over at her. "What's your problem?" She seemed to be holding back extreme anger.

"Then perhaps ye should go sulk somewhere else until ye can come to a reconciliation?"

"Yeah, whatever." Inuyasha got up from the floor and trudged out onto the porch. _Damn it. Why does this always happen? _Inuyasha did feel bad about what he said, and he didn't like her wandering off without him, especially at a time like this. But apologizing was not something he had ever been good at.

He stepped off the porch and followed Kagome's scent to the base of the hill where Sango and Miroku lived. _Great, this isn't gonna be easy with Sango hanging around. _

He reached the door, and was just about to knock when the door swung open. Sango stood in the doorway with a pique look on her face. It was obvious she was going to hold a grudge.

"Hello." She said flatly.

"Hi…uh Sango," He rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "Is Kagome-"

"She's sleeping," Sango said sharply. She stood completely blocking the door frame. "Funny how being chased through a dark forest by a murderous lunatic can really wear a young girl out. Don't ya think?"

"Look, Sango, I just need to talk to her so-" He took a step forward, trying to enter the hut. Sango stuck out her arm, blocking him.

"What do you not understand about 'she's _sleeping_?' Come back later." She began to swing the door closed, Inuyasha stopped it with his hand. He leaned inside and looked at Sango pleadingly.

"Please?"

Sango scowled. "You are one piece of work, let me tell ya," She shook her head in disbelief. "She's upset. Are you here to apologize or what?"

"Yes." He answered.

"Fine," Sango said, looking him up and down with indifference. God, she knew how to intimidate. "Follow me."

He followed her to the bedroom where Kagome was sleeping soundly on some blankets on the floor. They both walked in and Sango stood right next to Inuyasha, her arms folded coolly across her chest. Inuyasha gazed down at Kagome and sighed, then abruptly turned to face Sango with a look that said 'Why are you still here?'

"Do you mind?" Inuyasha murmured, raising his eyebrows.

"It's my house." She spat.

"She's _my_ woman." he shrugged, lifting his hands up.

"Yeah, and _you're_ a cocky bastard." She said a little too loud.

Kagome made a soft noise down on the blankets as she shifted slightly. "Shh. She's sleeping." Inuyasha reminded her smugly, he put one finger to his lips.

She scowled again and rolled her eyes before she spun on her heel and walked out.

Inuyasha sunk to the floor next to Kagome. Her face was so calm and innocent. He didn't want to wake her, but he couldn't stand sitting there replaying his harsh words over and over in his head anymore. He had to apologize before the guilt ate away at him. He gently rubbed her shoulder. "Kagome, hey…" She didn't move. "Kagome, it's me." He rubbed a little harder and leaned over her. Suddenly, she swung her arm up, her elbow smacking Inuyasha right in the nose.

"Ahh. Damn it." He leaned back and touched his nose carefully then wiggled it.

Kagome moaned and stretched on the blanket. "Huh? what?" She said as she came out of her sleep.

Inuyasha sighed. "Well, I guess I deserved that." he muttered, still touching his tender nose. She could actually hit pretty hard for someone who was sleeping.

"Hey." He said, scooting closer to her again.

She blinked up at him, her brow furrowed, as if she didn't understand why he was there. "Hi." She said coolly, her expression suddenly irritated.

"Kagome, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said, I just-" He paused. "There's no excuse. I was a jerk and you didn't deserve that. I'm so sorry."

Kagome's eyes drooped slightly as she looked blankly up at him, she seemed unimpressed. Then she rolled over and turned her back to him. "I didn't know that saving me was such an inconvenience for you. I probably would've been fine if you hadn't come. But you're right," She sniffed. "I should show more gratitude for your selflessness." Her voice cracked as she began to cry.

Inuyasha's expression was pained. Her soft sobs echoed in his head and made his heart ache. "No, Kagome you're not a burden. Not at all. And you don't owe me anything. I'll understand if you don't forgive me. That was a horrible thing for me to say."

"Yes. You're right about that too." She whispered.

"Can I hold you? Please?" He asked holding out his arms. She didn't respond, she just shook her head quickly.

"Are you gonna stay mad?" He asked.

"Maybe." she sobbed.

Inuyasha sighed and lowered his face into his hands. "Ok." He whispered. _I suppose I was expecting that. _He thought.

He didn't even hear her get up, but suddenly, her soft hands pulled on his wrists. He looked up and she was sitting just in front of him, her face mere inches from his. His eyes darted to her lips then back to her eyes then back to her lips again. She entwined her fingers in his and peered at him with big sad eyes. "But maybe, if you promise you'll still protect me, I'll give you a 'thank you' kiss."

He gazed at her, his eyes full of longing. "I promise," He whispered back.

Then, she leaned forward, placed a delicate hand on his cheek and gave him a light kiss on the lips. He tried to deepen it, but she pulled away. He sighed and squeezed her hand tightly. He decided he would make it up to her somehow. He had to. He wanted to. And he would always protect her, no matter what. He would put her life before his own. Because it was his job, his instinct and his meaning. He couldn't live in a world without her. It was impossible.

Kagome touched his face gently with her hand and gave him a soft smile. Sure she would make him earn the right to kiss her, hold her, and touch her, but by sometime tomorrow, she would forget about the whole thing like she always did. It wasn't lost of interest, it was because deep down, she had already forgiven him. She loved and needed him too much not to.


	15. Festival

**15 - Festival**

A few days later, during the day of the vernal equinox, the villagers bustled about, hanging lanterns and preparing the harvested crops. All of the chaos was in preparation for the Shunki korei-sai festival, a day for appreciation of nature and a celebration of all living things. It was the first day of spring.

I offered my help, but Inuyasha was being his usual possessive self and kind-of secluded me from all of them. Yes, I had forgiven him, he knew it. But now he wouldn't let me out of his sight. It was… well, it was typical Inuyasha.

Later in the day, when the kids began to be ignored by the busy villagers, I took the twins and Rin to the creek and we made crowns out of the little white flowers. Inuyasha sat up in his tree and watched me the whole time. Eventually I told him to look somewhere else because his stare was starting to creep me out.

He rolled his eyes and blurted two completely contradictory statements. The first, he told me to "deal with it." And the second was that he "wasn't staring at me anyway." He knew how to get on my nerves.

Rin and the twins got bored soon enough, so I decided I'd show them the magic trick I'd perfected over the last three years.

"Go find me a shiny rock or a pinecone or something." I told them. When they retuned with an empty snail shell, I placed it in the middle of my palm and asked, "Now, should I make this disappear?"

They all yelled "yeah" at the same time. I could feel Inuyasha's stare still burning a hole through my back. I smiled, I was sure he'd be amused.

"Ok," I said, encircling my fingers around the shell so it was hidden from sight. "Now tap your pointer finger on it three times and say 'disappear.'" They did.

"Now, pick a hand," They chose my left, I opened it, it was empty. So naturally they picked my right. It wasn't there either, and they got a real kick out of that. Inuyasha grunted curtly in the tree behind me.

"I wonder where it went." I said. Then I reached behind Rin's ear and pulled out the little snail shell. Their faces lit up with wonder, it was heart-warming. I peered over my shoulder and caught Inuyasha balancing precariously on a branch, craning his neck to see what happened.

I led the kids back to Sango's place, Inuyasha followed not far behind. When we got to the yard, Sango dragged me inside, telling me she had the perfect outfit for me to wear to the festival. Inuyasha protested against it, but Sango won that battle.

"Stay out here with Miroku and stop acting like a lost puppy!" She scolded.

I stuck out my bottom lip at him and told him it would take only a minute.

About an hour later, I emerged from the hut dressed in what I agreed was the perfect outfit for the festival. It was a knee-length silky white dress that flowed from the breast-line. The top of it was a green lacey pattern with short sleeves, an open back and a scoop neck. It was very pretty. I noticed Miroku and Inuyasha were both staring. I blushed.

"Well?" I spun around in a quick circle, liking the way the dress twirled with me.

Miroku started to open his mouth to say something, but Inuyasha beat him to it. "Beautiful," He said as he stepped up the porch to me. "Absolutely stunning." _Wow, that's surprising. _I thought.

"Thank you!" I think I may have smiled the widest that I had in three years.

* * *

At the festival…

The late March sky was clear. The stars were scattered brilliantly across it like a million little cities shining in space. It was cool outside, but not unbearably so. At least, not as long as Inuyasha kept his arm around me. Warmth seemed to radiate off of him.

Light music floated up above the huts, it's slow, sad sound felt more like a weight on my shoulders, reminding me of things I would have preferred to forget about for one night. I dreadfully missed the springy, happy tunes of modern bands in Tokyo, whose lyrics generated fantasies of romance on beaches and long carefree road trips and even those dumb songs about club-hopping were more fun than this. Though, those sounds were just vague memories in the back of my mind now.

We stood in the courtyard in the center of the village, where there were so many candles, it looked like the whole place was on fire. There was a ritual at the end where all the candles were blown out at the same time. However, the festival was far from over.

A few couples spun in slow circles to the music in the center. The rest of us stood among the glowing lanterns and discussed things that I personally had no interest in like the crops and the weather. I caught Inuyasha yawning when a farmer came up to me and began a conversation about cabbage. I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. He chuckled.

To further subtract from my shrinking attention span, I think I had probably talked to enough "noblemen" to last me a lifetime. They were all _too_ charming, even disgustingly so. They came up to me, completely ignoring Inuyasha and said things like "You look ravishing, I must know your name," or "You are by far the brightest light in this entire village." Please, spare me. I mean, I guess they hadn't seen all the gushy romance movies I have, but I've heard those exact same lines a million times before.

One particular man strode up to me, grabbed my hand and said, "May I ask you something?"

I told him, "Sure."

"Did it hurt?" He replied. I raised an eyebrow at his abruptness. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and glared at him.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"When you fell from heaven?" _Ug. Gag me. _He had this lecherous look on his face. I could feel Inuyasha clutching me, about ready to kill the guy. I patted Inuyasha's hand softly, trying to get him to calm himself. I honestly wouldn't mind a semi-violent Inuyasha intervention right about now, but I decided to handle it myself. I jerked my hand away from the man. "No. It didn't." I snapped. "Did it hurt when you donated your brain?" Then I stomped off. I didn't mean to be rude, but the guy wasn't blind, couldn't he see I was _taken_ for krypes sakes? Inuyasha caught up to me in an instant. "Nice comeback, I think you stunned him. Can I punch him in the face and pretend my hand slipped?" He asked, his tone irritated.

I laughed. "No, you don't need to start a brawl during the middle of a nature festival. Keep calm." I told him. He looked back over his shoulder and scowled.

"What the hell is he doing here anyway? He's a diplomat from Sasaki."

"A diplomat?"

"Yeah..." It was apparent Inuyasha didn't really care about his social standing.

I sighed.

"What?" He asked, suddenly curious.

"It's most likely Kaede's doing. She wants to introduce me to important social figures for alliance reasons. She probably invited them." Kaede had made it clear that I would eventually take over certain obligations as priestess when she was gone. I was ok with that I guess, but I didn't like to think about it.

"Well I don't like it," Inuyasha spat. "These guys are acting like a bunch a pigs." He scanned the crowd of villagers suspiciously from where we now stood at the edge of the courtyard.

I turned my head and looked up at him. "Wanna get outta here?" I asked so bluntly I surprised myself.

He spun his head around and looked at me. "What was that?" He asked, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Leave? Here? Wanna?" I clarified sarcastically.

"Y-Yeah, uh, sure." He stuttered.

I smiled and took his hand as we casually snuck out of sight in between the dark huts. We rounded the corner at the end of the row and he pulled me back into the shadows right as a group of children went rushing by. Then, I pulled him along to the grassy hill that went down to the river. I flung my shoes off and started sprinting full speed, laughing aloud at our rebellion. We were ditching the festival, ducking through the shadows and were now running away down the hillside like naughty little children.

Of course, the grass was already wet with dew, which didn't mix well with running. Just as we reached the bottom of the hill, I tried to stop and slipped backward, my legs flinging up in the air and my free arm flailing back to catch myself. It must have looked pretty stupid, had anyone been watching. I screamed and fell back onto the grass and immediately started laughing my head off. Inuyasha stood there, still holding my hand, making weak attempts to get me up by pulling on my arm. He was laughing pretty hard too. Eventually he slumped on the ground next to me, and we just laid there like a couple of dazed idiots.

I'd be lying if I said I wished we would have stayed at the festival. For some reason, this right here made so much more sense. Maybe I was acting childish, and maybe I was a little indifferent towards the serious responsibilities I would soon take on. But I hadn't had a whole lot of _fun_ in a long time. When I was with Inuyasha, I felt free to do the things that excited me and made me feel a little younger. Why settle for boring when you can have interesting, entertaining and _fun_?

I knew for a fact, I could never be satisfied with another man after knowing Inuyasha. It was becoming apparent to me that if another man so much as looked at me, I was immediately repulsed. My mind seemed to have blocked out all distractions from Inuyasha, all I wanted was him, his love and his love only.

Maybe it was because I had to fight for him, earn him in a way. Or rather, we earned each other. Through all of the time we spent together, we came to understand each other more. Sure things was hard sometimes, and Inuyasha was a jerk on numerous occasions, but somehow, we got to where we are now.

As I lay there on the grass under the stars, a random thought crossed my mind. It wasn't a very pleasant one. What if I had returned to the Feudal era and found that Inuyasha had moved on? What if he didn't stay in the village anymore? What if he had all but forgotten about me, stored me away in some dark corner of his heart? What if he had… come to love someone else? What would I have done? The well would no longer transport me back to modern time, so, I'd just be stuck here, as if still abiding in a world where Inuyasha didn't exist. To think, how devastated and lousy I would feel.

But Inuyasha _didn't _forget me. He waited for me, for three long years. And by the sound of the story that Sango told me about his "activities" over the time of my absence, it seemed he would have waited even longer. I was suddenly extremely grateful for that. When I really thought about it, I didn't want him to move on, I wanted him to be happy, but I had a burning need for him to stand by me. A burning need for _him_.

"I'm glad you waited," I said, realizing too late that I had spoke aloud.

"Huh?" Inuyasha replied next to me.

"Oh, nothing. Never mind." I murmured quickly.

"No, what did you say?"

"Forget it!" I giggled.

"No thanks. Now, what did you say?" He looked at me inquisitively.

"Um, well…" I sighed. "I just was thinking and…I'm glad that you didn't forget about me, Inuyasha. That is, I'm glad that you waited for me all this time." I said softly.

He didn't say anything at first, but then he abruptly propped himself up on his elbow and leaned in, closing the small space between us. "How could I ever forget about you Kagome?" He sounded upset all of a sudden.

"I don't know, three years is a long time. Why _did_ you wait?" I said.

"You didn't answer my question."

"How am I supposed to answer _that _question?" I retorted.

"How am I supposed to answer yours?" He said with one eyebrow raised.

Staring at the stars to avoid getting stunned by his golden gaze, I said, "I guess we shouldn't have asked those questions then."

He flashed this brilliant smile that showed his fangs. "Kagome, for you, I would wait forever." His voice sounded so sultry, I automatically ripped my attention away from the suddenly dull and boring stars to gawk at _his_ radiance. The yearning in his eyes made me blush a deep red.

"Forever is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?" I swallowed the lump in my throat.

He let out a sharp puff of air through his perfect teeth. I could feel the heat sweep across my face momentarily. "It would be worth it." He whispered. I noticed him looking at my lips. My heart beat faster. Slowly, he leaned in over me and pressed his lips against mine. The timid touch quickly became feverish. I clutched his robes, the only thing I could grab a hold of when he squeezed me so close to him. Somehow, without weighing on me at all, he swung his body over mine and hovered on top of me as he continued kissing almost desperately. It was an awkward, yet absolutely invigorating position. Then, he broke the kiss, scooped me up in his arms and tucked his head deep into my hair. He had me compressed against him so that I couldn't move. After a few minutes, I got the feeling something was wrong. I wiggled my arms free and pushed on his shoulder slightly. He didn't budge. I tried again, harder this time. I fussed quietly when he still didn't move. "Inuyasha… you're squishing me!" I sound of my own voice made me giggle for some reason.

One of his hands moved up behind my head, he placed his hand there so gently, like he thought I was going to break or something. His breathing had become more strained. "Inuyasha?" I murmured. While laying there so still, I felt that he was trembling.

"Inuyasha? What is it?" I held on to his shoulder. Nudging him again.

He was quiet for the moment, then his voice broke the silence. It sounded different, distressed and quiet. Husky, but wavered a little, like he was crying.

"I missed you." He breathed. The words sent a warm shiver down my spine. "I missed you so much." I felt his lips move against my neck as he spoke. My heart felt like it was trying to beat clear out of my chest and into his.

Tears streamed down my face now, silently seeping into his shoulder. "I missed you too." I said.

He kept his grip on me for a little longer before slowly releasing me. He kissed me gently on the cheek. Then, he laid down beside me and stroked my hair softly. I really didn't know how he did it, entrance me like he did. We gazed at each other for a while before my eyes began to feel heavy. "I love you." I whispered. I snuggled closer in his strong, warm arms and drifted off to sleep.


	16. Demon of the pit

**#16 - Demon of the pit**

_In my dream, I was walking through a field full of little yellow flowers. The children from the village were running around my feet. Birds chirped, a breeze blew and the sun warmed my skin. Things were just as they should be, and I couldn't help but smile._

We arrived back in the village and something didn't feel right. At first I couldn't figure out what it was, but then I thought, "Where is everybody?" Sure enough, there wasn't anyone in sight. I told the kids to go inside. Just then, a woman peeked her head out of her window. She told me Inuyasha was with Sango and Miroku on the other end of the village with a stranger who had appeared.

I ran as fast as I could, willing my legs to leap farther. "Run." I told myself. "Go. Hurry." I wasn't afraid for myself any more, instead, I was afraid for my friends and my beloved. Something told me the stranger wasn't targeting only me, it was a trap. Like before.

As I got closer to the border of the village, the huts spread out and I could see Inuyasha. My heart leapt frantically as I ran further and saw a dark, ominous figure in front of him. "Inuyasha!" I called.

"Kagome, stay away!" He warned without turning around. Sango ran up to me, keeping me back.

I studied the scene in front of me. The stranger stood motionless, his head cocked towards me. His dark form was in complete contrast with the bright sun that lit up everything around us. Inuyasha was crouched defensively not very far in front of him, his Tessaiga drawn. Miroku had fallen back and was not far from where Sango stood in front of me. Sango was saying something to me, but I couldn't understand. All I was focusing on was Inuyasha and how dangerously close he was to the stranger.

The stranger continued to stare at me. I got that same bone-chilling feeling that I had gotten from him that night in the forest. I held my breath. Suddenly, Inuyasha stepped into his line of sight, breaking his focus. "Don't look at her, look at me!" Inuyasha snarled. "Who the hell are you?" The stranger didn't answer. "Answer me!" Inuyasha yelled.

Then, the stranger did something that made me freeze in fear. My mind blurred as I remembered a dream within a dream. The dream where this mysterious man had killed me. I remembered his laugh and how vicious and cold-blooded it sounded as I sunk to the ground, drenched in my own blood.

What the stranger did then to provoke my sudden memory relapse, was laugh. It was a quiet, but menacing laugh. Inuyasha tensed at the sound while I stood there with fear plastered all over my face.

"Inuyasha," The stranger spoke his name slowly. It slithered out like a poisonous snake. "I have no interest in answering your questions. I have come for a different purpose." He said.

Sango's eyes flickered to me. Inuyasha glared at him for a moment then yelled over his shoulder, "Sango, get Kagome out of here." I couldn't move. Sango tried to lead me away. "No!" I cried. I jerked my arms away and tried to move closer to Inuyasha. The stranger leaned forward slightly, as if ready to snatch me. But I didn't notice, I struggled to free myself from Sango and Miroku's grip and get to Inuyasha. "Get her away NOW!" Inuyasha's voice was on edge, fearful. He still didn't take his eyes off the stranger. But I didn't care. He didn't understand who he was about to fight. Somehow, I did.

His name was Kerberos, meaning "demon of the pit."

"I am Kerberos, demon of the pit." His words echoed my thoughts, like he was inside my head.

He is a servant of hell, following only the orders of those who can grant him power.

"I am a humble servant and I have been given an order by my master to perform a task."

He's hostile. He wants me dead, and I could tell just by the way he looked at me, nothing would stop him. If Inuyasha fought him, Kerberos would kill him.

"I have come to kill that woman there," Kerberos pointed a long finger at me. "And no matter what weapon you may swing in my face, Inuyasha, I **will** follow orders." He chuckled again.

"SANGO…" Inuyasha warned again. Sango pushed me back. "Kagome, now! Go!" She pleaded. I ignored her.

"Inuyasha don't fight him!" I screamed.

Inuyasha growled and stood his ground.

"Go ahead, fight me Inuyasha. Protect your beloved. But let me discourage you from underestimating me." Kerberos said, it was like he was reading my mind. Only, I wanted Inuyasha to get as far away from him as possible.

Inuyasha took a few steps back, seemingly considering whether he should grab me and run or attack. Kerberos stayed where he was. Then, has if holding some invisible object, he lifted his hand and curled his bony fingers around air. Inuyasha eyed him carefully.

"Inuyasha!" I screamed again. "Run!"

He was going to do it. He was going to open the pits of hell and reek havoc upon everything in sight. He was going to kill us all. I fought furiously against Sango and Miroku's hold.

"Please, Kagome!" They yelled. "We need to get you out of here!" Sango put her hands on my shoulders and tried to get my attention.

"No! Let go! Inuyasha get away from him!" He didn't listen. He still stood between me and Kerberos.

Then, Kerberos spoke once more. "Well, Inuyasha," He said. "I certainly hope you have more than one thing to live for."

The movements following that all blended together, yet, it was all so vivid. Inuyasha lifted his sword. Sango spun around to face Kerberos and said Miroku's name nervously. He stepped in front of her, pushing her behind him. Kerberos outstretched the hand that held the invisible object towards me. A frenzy of whispers rang in my head. Kerberos glared at me for only a moment with these minty green eyes that burnt through me. Just as Inuyasha was about to swing his sword, Kerberos clutched his fingers into a tight fist. It was like a shockwave expanded from him and into my body. I felt my heart sputter. My eyes rolled and fluttered closed. Before I could even gasp for air, my lungs closed and I fell.


	17. Dawn

**17 - Dawn**

We were still laying on the grass when the dark blue sky began to brighten to a lighter shade. Dawn was just making it's way over the mountains, but it seemed like we'd barely been there for very long. I hadn't slept at all. After Kagome fell asleep, I fiddled with strands of her hair and touched her face softly. It sounds weird, but she was so fun to touch!

Not long after the first robins began to chirp, Kagome's eyes snapped open. It surprised me, one second she was sleeping soundly, the next, she was looking right at me with those mesmerizing eyes.

"Hey!" I said in a hushed voice.

She took a few seconds to answer. "Hello..." She said. She sounded somewhat confused.

I chuckled. "Don't you remember? You're the one who dragged us down here last night." My smile quickly faded when she didn't smile back.

"Kagome, what's up?"

"Huh? Uh, nothing," She tried to laugh, but the effort was pretty pathetic. "I guess I did forget…"

I couldn't stand it when she did this to me. Sometimes she could be so easy to read, but other times, she drove me crazy with this "it's nothing" crap. I guess the longer I knew her, the better I got at understanding her. But recently, it was too damn difficult to differentiate her confusion from her fear.

She sat up from the ground, easing out of my arms. She yawned and stretched and then suddenly fell back onto me, making a fussing sound. I laughed and pulled her onto my chest as we lay down again.

"You're so weird." I teased her.

"Your 're." Her voice was muffled against my chest.

"You've got grass in your hair." I plucked at a few of the pieces hidden in her silky raven hair.

She sat up again and searched more diligently for the grass.

"I think it's cute." I chuckled, sitting up to face her. She found the last piece or green and tossed it.

She looked up at the still brightening sky and bit her lip. "Maybe we should go…" I nodded and stood up, offering her my hand. She took it and stood, brushed herself off, and started for the hill.

I swung her up onto my shoulder and carried her up to the top.

"I remember how to walk, you know." She giggled when I set her down and she started walking towards the village.

"Well, why not for old times sake, huh?" I placed my arm over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. She smiled.

Suddenly, someone came thundering out of a hut and right into our path. I could have attacked, but decided against it because I knew who it was.

"Ah-ha!" Sango yelled, pointing a finger at the two of us. Kagome stopped in her tracks. "Sango? What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ two doing here?" She was still yelling.

I looked at her like she was out of her mind. She hated it when I did that, the one eyebrow raised thing. And I leaned casually on Kagome's shoulder, which she also hated.

Kagome put her hands out in front of her in a calming motion. "Sango, _shhh_," she whispered. "People are-"

"Sleeping, I know, okay!" Sango's voice was quieter. She marched up closer to Kagome. "Where in the hell did you _go_ last night?" She whispered harshly. "I was looking _everywhere_, people were asking me where you were, I had to make up excuses cause I knew you guys probably ran off somewhere, and then of course you didn't come back so-"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Kagome said. I didn't understand why she sounded so sincere. Since when was Sango on couple patrol?

"Yeah, bug off!" I snorted and pulled Kagome closer. Sango glared at me.

"Inuyasha-" Kagome snapped.

"It's fine," Sango said in a know-it-all kind of tone. "I won't hold it against him. His ego always gets the better of him when he thinks he can get away with it."

"Pfff! Bitch." Was all the response I could muster. It had been a while since Sango and I had gone at it like this. Mainly because I just avoided her. She liked to get on my bad side for some reason.

"Or are you angry cause there was some male competition at the festival last night?" Sango smiled.

"Hardly what I would call competition. You might want to get your vision checked."

"You guys! Would you stop?" Kagome interrupted. "Honestly! Since when do you bicker like five-year-olds?"

I leaned possessively against her and gave Sango the look that said "beat it." I even bared my teeth a little. It was fun to act protective like this again.

Sango put her hands on her hips and said, "Since _this_ guy forgot who he's back-sassing."

Satisfied with herself, Sango winked at Kagome, who looked kind-of annoyed, and turned to walk away. Then she spun around really quick and added, "Oh, and Kagome…Details. Later." She smiled really big at me. I got what she was referencing.

"Don't wait up next time! We don't need a babysitter, thank you!" I called after her.

Kagome sighed. "Quit it." She pushed me playfully. I chuckled and pushed her back. She hesitated, but then pushed me again and darted quickly ahead of me. That killed me.

I caught up to her instantly and put my arm around her waist this time. "So," I said. "Where're we going?"

"Oh, I don't know." She chirped.

"You still tired?"

"Not really."

"Hungry?"

"Nah."

"Feeling adventurous?"

"Maybe, why?"

I racked my brain for someplace to take her, any excuse to have her alone longer. All these other people were driving me nuts.

"You know, because if there's _any_ place you want to go, I can get you there." I said hopefully.

"Well…" She said. "I can't really think of any place..."

"We could just run around, not really _go_ any where." I suggested, somewhat desperately.

"Hmm," she said. "Well it would be nice to watch the sun rise." She looked up to the east where the sky was just beginning to turn light pink.

"Say no more." I said. I motioned for her to climb on my back, and as soon as she was secure, we were off.

I leapt upward and landed agilely on a branch of a large tree. She giggled nervously. I bounded off it and began jumping from one branch to the next. I was moving faster than usual, but I tried to decrease the amount of jerking. Kagome had her arms wrapped tight around my neck. I got the feeling she had her eyes closed tight too. "How ya' doing back there?" I asked.

"Fine." She answered. She didn't sound fine. I stopped mid-flight and dropped down to clutch the trunk of a tree below me. Kagome screamed even after we had stopped moving. "You're not gonna puke are you?" I chuckled.

"I thought we were falling." She said breathlessly.

"Falling!" I scoffed. "Yeah right. Hold on, k?"

I positioned my feet against the side of the tree and let go with my hand, shooting forward. Then, almost gracefully, I launched myself straight up from a branch. We broke through the tops of the trees and suspended in mid-air for a moment. Kagome squealed and clutched me tighter. I used the top of a tree to barely push off. Then, there was nothing below us but air and a canyon far below.

It was obvious Kagome had opened her eyes, she was freaking out. "Oh. my. God! What are you- Ahhhh! We're gonna die!" I cringed when she screamed right in my ears. I flattened them to my skull and rolled my eyes. What, did she think I was gonna _drop_ her or something? Jeez. As I neared the side to the canyon, I reached my hand out and we stopped instantly on the side of the wall. With one bound, we were in the air again and over the other side of the canyon. Yeah, okay, I was showing off. I did somewhat of a flip, grabbed Kagome's hands, pulled her over my shoulders, which totally freaked her out, and just as my feet hit the ground, she landed in my arms, bridal style.

I laughed uncontrollably while she blew a strand of hair out of her face. I set her down when she started squirming, she stumbled a little when she stood. She looked completely blown away. I was doubled over I was laughing so hard. "Y-yo-your f-face! Ahahahaha!"

She steadied herself and growled at me. "Inuyasha! You- Wait. What about my face?"

I tried to gain control over myself. "Ahha ahhhh... Nothing. Nothing. It's the most beautiful face in the world." I didn't even mean to say that, but it worked.

"Humph. Big show off." She folded her arms but she smiled softly. Then, it was like she finally realized where we were. She walked over to the edge of the pinnacle of rock we were standing on. I brought us to the tallest one that overlooked the canyon and the mountains which were now just being silhouetted by the sun. Kagome got down and half crawled, half dragged herself to the edge and made a gasping sound. "Oh- ho- oh my gosh. Okay…" She slowly backed away from the cliff. I walked over to her.

"Don't tell me you're not afraid of heights now." I said.

She laughed nervously, "Uh, shouldn't I be?" She looked over the side again. A cool breeze lifted her hair from her neck as she peeked over the edge, she shivered.

"It's nice and warm over here." I said, stretching out my arms. Cautiously, she stood up and walked back over to me. She faced her back to me and grabbed my arms, wrapping them around herself. I yawned and snuggled closer.

"Are you tired?" She asked.

"Maybe a little."

After a few minutes, I sat down and leaned my back against the side of another rock. She snuggled into my lap and peered over my arms to see the sun come up and bring all of the brilliant colors of morning with it. I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent. It was so sweet and warming. Like breathing in the sun itself.

I stretched my legs out and she settled between them with her back against my chest. Not really aware of anything anymore, I crossed my arms in front of her and leaned into her. After several nights without a good sleep, my eyes felt heavy and dry. Kagome drew little circles with her finger on my fore arms. I dipped my head to her neck to tell her something, but forgot what it was. A few more hours with Kagome to myself wasn't going to kill anybody. I grinned. _Sango can bite my head off when we get back for all I care, I'm not giving up this moment for __**anything**__._


	18. Not Enough

I only slept for a few hours I think before I woke up abruptly and smacked the back of my head against the rock behind me. It was great. Felt lovely. Kagome tilted her head up and looked at me, her brow furrowed, "What'd you do?" She asked me. I rubbed the back of my head and winced. She giggled. That giggle of hers, I swear. Even if it made no sense to giggle, it was still the most beautiful sound in the world. She could push me off the cliff, as long as she giggled, it would be beautiful. I snuggled up closer to her and wrapped my arms more firmly around her.

When I looked up, sure enough, the sun had barely moved. I groaned softly. I still felt so tired. I think it must have had something to do with the scent Kagome was constantly radiating, it was like a drug that was making me _more _human. Consequentially, more sleepy.

Anyway, we stayed there for a little longer looking out over the world from our giant rock. She asked me about Myoga, Jaken, Sesshomaru and _Koga_. I knew Myoga was tagging along with Totosai. Sesshomaru did who-knows-what all day long, Jaken running around after him. And Koga…That name was like poison to my brain. The stupid flee-bag had fallen off the edge on the earth in my dream world. But as long as he didn't come around here, I guess it was okay. I heard from Myoga that he got married to that wolf chick Ayame. Not that marriage would stop him from running over here if he found out Kagome was back. Kagome was happy to hear everyone was doing well though.

She braided a strand of her hair and babbled about how glad she was to be back. I wasn't listening anymore, I was too busy pecking kisses on her neck. But then something she said made me remember what I had been worrying about.

"- I was so surprised when I saw Sango and Miroku come running up that hill with three kids in their arms! It's funny," She laughed. "She's so strict with you, but she's such a kind mother, she reminds me of my mom…"

"Uh, Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"You, can't go home, can you."

She paused. "No."

I thought of her family back home. Souta needed his sister didn't he? Their father was gone and her mother must have been going out of her mind when she found out Kagome had decided to leave. Right? What about that grandpa of hers? He was crabby and I can't imagine he would let her go if he knew. Did she even tell them?

"Did you- say goodbye?"

"Yes." I could tell she was making her voice sound stronger than she really felt. I sighed. I felt pretty guilty. I mean, I wasn't thinking narrowly here, I know she didn't just come back for _me_. She chose this _life_ here. What I didn't get was _why_. Why would she choose it and _how_ did she?

"I'm sorry," I said, and I really was. It took a lot of bravery to come here.

"I miss them," was all she said as she resumed braiding her hair. I cringed, I hated knowing that she would be missing them for the rest of her life. She would never see her brother grow older. She won't be there for them when her grandpa dies, or when her mother needs her. And they won't be with her when she gets married or has children. It wasn't fair for her to have to choose between two entirely different worlds.

"I thought about you every day," She said. "I wanted to come here so bad, but I guess I was never truly ready to let them go… I don't know what changed, but I don't regret coming back."

"Not at all? Kagome, you can tell me." I said.

"No. I really don't regret it."

"Wasn't your mom sad?"

"Yeah, of course…she just loved me enough to let me go."

"What did she say?"

"She said it was fine." I could tell she was getting irritated.

"Hmm."

"What does that 'hmm' mean?" She asked.

"I don't know."

I smiled. "I know _I'm _glad you're here right now," I kissed her cheek softly. I wished I could see her face, but she still had her back to me. "Although, it wouldn't have bothered me if you had come back a little earlier."

She put her hands over mine. "Sorry." She said sadly. This conversation was going nowhere. She kept apologizing for stuff I didn't mean for her to apologize for and it was getting a little disheartening.

"I love you." I whispered in her ear.

She said 'I love you' back. I would never get tired of hearing that. Never. And I would never get tired of saying it. I knew she found those words to be powerful, it was just the kind of person she was. But I still felt like those simple words couldn't undo the hole that she must feel in her heart. The hole I knew I have felt many times before. The truth was, they were just words, and I was more of a show-through-action type of guy. But then again, my actions wouldn't heal anything either. It's too much, but it's not enough.


	19. Note of warning

**19 - Note of warning**

After they came back to the village, Inuyasha and Kagome were greeted by a torrent of people who _needed_ things. 'Will you watch me shoot this arrow?' 'Come look at these kimonos.' 'Heal my kids scraped knee.' _If the nearest volcano needed a sacrifice would they ask her to do the honors?_ Inuyasha thought as his eyebrow twitched in irritation.

Shippo got priority when he jumped into her arms and asked her if she would watch his technique. Inuyasha watched as Shippo directed her off to the field. He'd seen his technique a million times so he squatted on Kaede's porch to wait for her to come back. Which she didn't.

Sango asked Kagome for her help with storing some of the extra food from last night's festival. Afterwards, she took Kagome up to her house to change clothes because she was still wearing the green and white dress. Sango gave her a floaty cream top and a pair of shorts she made out of a dark blue fabric. "What can I say," She laughed. "Your fashion sense rubbed off on me." Kagome realized she was probably going to have to start wearing priestess attire at some point but took the clothes anyway. When Kagome was dressed, she walked outside where she was immediately hauled away by some children to the river to look for pretty shells. She sighed tiredly but agreed. Their little faces lit up.

Inuyasha spied her walking out of Sango's hut at the top of the hill. He waited intently from his perch in his tree. Then he sat up and prepared to pounce and land right in front of her. He grew irritated when the twins and some other kids from the village beat him to it, and dragged her off towards the river. He grumbled to himself and plopped back down onto the branch. "Ok then…" He sighed. "Never mind."

When Kagome finished shell shopping, she walked back through the village. Inuyasha growled as the villagers started swarming. "No. It's okay, I'm not hungry." "I don't know anything about harvesting rice, really." "Thanks, but I don't need jewelry." "I don't want any more food! I'm great thanks!" Inuyasha watched as she fended them off. It was kind of amusing. Eventually, they got the hint that there was nothing else they could use her for and began to scatter.

"Yes! That's right, walk away! Shoo already ya little pests!" Inuyasha whispered excitedly. He stood up on the branch, ready to jump. He nearly pulled his hair out when Kaede came scurrying towards her with an empty herb basket. "Damn!" He spat. "What is with people today?" He folded his arms across his chest and watched disappointedly as Kagome followed after Kaede in the direction of the gardens.

They both got to work pulling the ginger roots from the ground. Kagome was grateful she wasn't wearing a dress anymore. She kneeled on her knees and put some muscle into it. She handed them to Kaede who slowly cut them into halves.

"So," Kaede said in her crackly voice. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

Kagome didn't look up from her work. "Yeah. So much has changed, but a lot has stayed the same too. It's really great to see everyone again."

"And you have no regrets?" Kaede asked, her eyes closed softly.

Kagome furrowed her brow as she fought with s stubborn root. "Course not." She grunted. The root came flying up and she stumbled backwards.

"Are you certain?" Kaede said skeptically.

"Did you talk to Inuyasha or something? He was really getting on my case about my family." Kagome asked.

"Oh?" Kaede said.

Kagome handed her the root and sighed. "It's only been a few days. It will be hard at first, but it was my choice. Inuyasha's acting like it's his fault or something."

"Where is Inuyasha by the way?" Kaede asked.

"You know, I don't know," Kagome sat up and looked around. "I haven't seen him."

"Ah, Miroku may have snatched him." Kaede suggested.

"Oh, right. Sometimes I forget there are still demons around here." Kagome said.

"Well, they come and go. Haven't seen many around here lately."

The two continued their work in silence. Kagome pulled the last root from the ground while Kaede stood up creakily. "Thank you my dear. I always dread this job. I would ask one of the handy men in this village, but it takes a careful woman's hands to do it right." She stretched out her legs.

"No problem, you're welcome." Kagome smiled. They stepped carefully out of the garden and began walking back to the hut.

"I know ye have been busy, but could ye go look for Rin for me? She didn't come in for lunch. She be always wandering that one." Kaede said.

"Of course," Kagome said looking around at the bordering hills.

"Then, I shall show you my best remedy for Poison Oak." Kaede said excitedly.

Kagome nodded and smiled at her. "Sounds great. Thanks Kaede." Kaede nodded and began to leave but then she remembered the thing she had been meaning to tell Kagome.

"Oh, and I don't mean to pressure ye dear, but the man you called a brain donor last night was intrigued and wants to discuss alliance plans…" She looked at her sternly for a moment and then smiled at her. "I am sorry to admit that it was I who set up that he be at the festival, but in light of his intrusive behavior, I told him to take his discussions and plans elsewhere." The old woman smiled broadly and chuckled at her own joke.

Kagome sighed with relief. "What would I do without you?" She said shaking her head as a soft smile crept up her lips.

"I do not know dear." She patted Kagome's hand gingerly and turned back to her hut.

Kagome waited there until she entered the hut. Then, out of nowhere, she sensed Inuyasha behind her. Before she could turn around he already had a hold of her. He tenderly wrapped his arms around her mid-section and snuggled close. "_Finally_," He growled. Then his voice became whiny, "I haven't seen you all day."

She laughed softly and reached back to squeeze his jaw firmly in her hand. "Aww. I'm sooory." She said in an equally whiny tone.

He jerked his face away and nuzzled his head into her neck, growling softly. "No you're not," he mumbled.

Kagome sighed and swiveled in his grasp to face him. The sad look on his face broke her heart. She puckered her bottom lip and looked up at him. "No, I am… You did have me to yourself all last night though." His expression didn't change. "Inuyasha… stop looking at me like that!" She whined. He suddenly smiled widely and hugged her close. She could feel his chest vibrating with laughter.

"Stupid- one night isn't enough." He chuckled. Kagome made an irritated sound and tried to push away from him.

"Sorry, it's not my fault Kaede has an agenda." She pushed on him again but he didn't budge. He just kept vibrating with laughter. "Ug! You're squishing me! I _will_ say the you-know-what word!" Inuyasha let go then, he still had a big smile on his face. She tried to hold a serious face but the corners of her mouth automatically curved up. "You should smile like that more often," She said while poking his cheek gently. "I love your smile."

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah?" Inuyasha said curiously. Kagome nodded once and turned to leave to find Rin. "What else do you love about me?" He asked in a sultry voice as he weaved his fingers with hers. He kissed her temple softly. She giggled like she always did.

Just then, Kagome heard a small voice calling her name. She stopped and turned around to see Rin running up behind them. "Hey Rin! I was just coming to find you!" Kagome greeted with a wide smile.

Rin came stumbling up to her. Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's hand tightly and then let go to kneel down to Rin's height. "Rin, what's wrong?" She asked. She brushed some bangs out of Rin's face who was panting quickly.

"I-" *pant* "was just in-" *pant* "up in the-" She was swinging her arms around trying to tell the story faster. "picking flowers and-" *pant* "This guy!" She pointed up the hill. "He gave me this-" She pulled a slip of paper out of the pocket of her dress and handed it to Inuyasha. "He said-" *pant* "That's for you…" She looked back at Kagome who was looking at her worriedly.

"What man, sweetie?" She asked.

Inuyasha sniffed the air suspiciously while he unfolded the small piece of paper. His heart nearly stopped when he read it and his breath caught in his throat. It read:

_**Better not doze off too often Inuyasha. It would be too easy  
**__**for me to snatch her right out from under you…  
**__**and crush her like a bug.**_

He stared, horrified, for a few moments at the words on the paper. He clenched and unclenched his jaw. Rin's voice snapped him back to reality.

"I don't know who he was. I couldn't see his face…"

"Where did he go?" Kagome asked.

"He went back into the woods." Rin said pointing towards the thick foliage at the entrance to the forest.

Kagome furrowed her brow for a moment, then her face became stern and pale in realization. "Inu-Inuyasha…" her voice trembled. She stood slowly, holding onto Rin's hand and gazing towards the forest. When he didn't answer her, she turned to him and saw that look on his face. That look being a cross between fear and fierce anger. She glanced at the note he still clutched in his hand. "What is it? W-what does it say?"

When he didn't answer her, she tried to take it away. He shoved the note into his pocket and said, "Get inside."

"But, Inuyasha…"

"Now. Take Rin and go inside."

"No." She said sternly. Inuyasha tensed. "Tell me what is going on." He turned to her then, put a hand on her waist and forcefully guided her to Kaede's porch. Kaede came rushing out of the hut, rather hobbled, and called out nervously to Inuyasha.

"I know." Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. And then, he was gone. Kagome watched numbly as the dash of red darted into the trees and disappeared. She could barely breathe. She looked over at Kaede who confirmed her fears by the expression on her face. It was _him_. It had to be.

She kneeled down to Rin again and held her by the shoulders. "Rin?" She asked quietly.

"Yes?" Rin pouted, still very scared and confused by what just happened.

"Rin sweetie, did you read the note?" Rin's eyes glanced away for a moment at the floor. "No…" She answered.

"Rin, I won't be mad. I just need to know what the note said. Did you read it?" The girl hesitated, but then nodded.

"Ok, what did it say? This is very important." Kagome held her tighter, dying to know what had Inuyasha bolting off without her.

"I-it said that Inuyasha couldn't sleep anymore? I didn't get that part. But… then it said something about someone else."

"What. Tell me please, it's okay." Kagome tried to conceal how frantic she was.

"It said that 'it would be too easy' to take you or something like that…and then 'crush you like a bug.'"

Kagome stared blankly at Rin's small face, unable to move. Rin looked scared. She was saying something, but the words did not register in Kagome's brain. She could feel Kaede's fearful gaze, she knew this was bad. Inuyasha had gone after the stranger…Kerberos, the monster from her dream last night. _This isn't how it happened. Not at all! _Kagome felt a spark of anger. _Why would he approach Rin for God sakes! How dare he! _The anger immediately switched back to fear. _Why would Inuyasha go after him? What did he mean when he said 'I know?' He doesn't know! Not at all! He's so stupid! Come back! Come back! _Rin had started crying. Kagome scanned the tree line, no Inuyasha. _Please, please come back. This isn't happening! Come back!_

Rin was crying louder. Kagome snapped out of her trance for a moment and looked at the frightened girl. "Oh, Rin, I'm sorry. It's okay." She pulled her into her arms and petted her hair softly as she repeated 'shhh.' Eventually, her crying stopped, Kagome felt like starting.

"Kaede," Kagome said as she wiped one last tear from Rin's face. "Can you take Rin inside?"

Kaede nodded and led the girl into the house. Kagome watched them, and once they were safe inside, she looked back up towards the forest. She knew what she had to do. What she wanted to do. Her beloved had just gone after the maniac who was really after her. She couldn't allow him to go in alone. Not after everything she'd insisted they do to work together. She stepped off the porch and as she became more and more determined, she broke into a sprint. As she came to the doors of the small hut where she knew all of the village's sacred materials were kept, she barely slowed down enough and rammed into the door, swinging it open. There, on the back wall, hung her bow, the one she received on Mount Azusa all those years ago. In a flurry, she grabbed it and a supply of arrows. She then ran back outside and headed for the forest.

Sango saw her go running by with her bow and arrow. She hurried out onto her porch. "Kagome? What's wrong?" But Kagome did not stop. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"I'm sorry Sango! Stay here okay? I'll be back!" She yelled over her shoulder. Kirara suddenly jumped onto Sango's shoulder. The hair on her back was raised and she was growling softly. Sango patted her head and looked out over the village. Slowly, Sango began to feel it, a pressure that she recognized in the atmosphere. A presence that lingered in the air around her and made her feel like choking. Sango's eyes became wide with fear. _It's trouble, no doubt. _"Miroku! I'm going to Kaede's." She slowly edged off the porch, watching Kagome disappear into the trees. Then, she picked up her pace until she was running down the hill. She hadn't ran in over three years. Miroku sensed something was wrong, he gathered his children and rushed after Sango to Kaede's. He could tell that the demonic energy was circulating the strongest in one particular area to the Southeast. It was stronger than anything he had ever felt, even that of Naraku's was not as strong nor smothering as this. For the first time in a long time, he felt gut-twisting fear.

Kagome ran at top speed along the narrow forest path. She could feel where the energy was centered, she let it guide her. Her spiritual energy also began to circulate and pulse. She was almost shocked when she felt it encompass her body and rush through every vein until it surged all around her. She didn't remember it being this…strong. She disregarded it, however, because it didn't matter. What mattered was that, if need be, she could hit the mark. What mattered was that she keep Inuyasha and herself safe. What mattered was that Sango, Miroku, everyone be unharmed. All that mattered at that moment to Kagome was protection for everyone she loved. She would ready her mind to fight and prepare her body for pain. She would make her soul impenetrable so she could be clear of thought even when tensions were at their highest. She didn't cry, she didn't hesitate, and she hadn't been so brave in her entire life.


	20. Unfinished fight

**20 - Unfinished fight**

I leapt from tree to tree at top speed. My fist was clasped tightly around the handle of my Tessaiga. The demonic force I was heading towards was repelling me backwards, but I kept going. I could feel it was close. The bastard was gonna die. I wasn't even gonna let him have last words. He said them already in that damn note. No one threatens my Kagome like that and lives to talk about it.

I bounded off one more branch and shot down. I was in the middle of it. The demonic presence. I didn't see anything but it smelled like death everywhere.

"Come out, damn it! Where are you?" I yelled into the trees. It was too quiet.

"You caught on faster than I realized, Inuyasha." A voice spoke. Suddenly, a figure materialized out of nowhere in front of me. I growled viciously and leaned into a fighting stance. We glared at each other for a few moments. Only, I couldn't see his face. "Did you receive my message?" He said in a mocking tone. His voice, however, was as low and maniacal as you expect from a creep like him.

"Leave her alone," I spat. "What does she have to do with you?"

"Nothing," He chuckled. "That's what makes this more fun. If I knew her, I'd have to personalize it, such a nuisance. She's just another prey to play with."

My blood boiled. I barred my fangs and snarled loudly. "Show your face you bastard."

Without moving at all, the black hood slid off, exposing his face. His skin was white. His mouth large was curled into a smile that showed tiny sharp teeth. His tongue was like a snake's, it slipped out and over his lips momentarily. His hair was white and stuck up straight like a flame burning on his head. Finally, I noticed his eyes, which were black apart from a circle of green in the middle that burned back into mine.

"Your soul is ravaged," He hissed. "It's full of hatred and bloodlust. I can smell it. It's a shame really." He lifted his arms to expose long clawed hands. "Perhaps in another life, I may use your tortured soul to my own advantage." He took a short step forward.

Before I could raise my sword, he was gone. And before I could turn around, I felt a burning pain go shooting up from my back. I heard my flesh ripping apart, but the sound was off, it wasn't like anything I'd heard before. I could barely comprehend it was my skin being torn to bits. I hit the ground hard. My entire body burned. I heard his laughter fading off into the darkness. Was he moving? Going back to the village? I struggled to get up, but my muscles were motionless. I groaned and felt my lungs heave.

I stabbed Tessaiga into the ground to help ease myself up. I felt the blood spilling, and my head spun. Leaning forward onto the nearest tree, I tried to steady myself. I looked around at where I was and found a path to walk on. My feet dragged out of exhaustion. Pain jolted through me with every step. I kept my hand pressed on my stomach where the blood was gushing. Soon I started to see twos of everything. I couldn't tell how bad of shape I was in, all I knew was my skin was burning like hell.

The sun was setting now. Orange light filtered down through the trees. I could hear birds again mixed with the harsh choking sound of my breathing. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming down the path, fast. I stopped and leaned back to pounce. I growled warningly into the darkness ahead of me. I heard the steps slow down. The scent hit me before she came into view. Fear shot through me like lightening.

"Inu-yasha?" A soft voice murmured. I felt my muscles turn to butter. I straightened up from my attack position just as she stepped out into the light. I heard her gasp and say, "Oh my God."

"Kagome, leave. Now." I groaned. She ran up to me and touched my face cautiously. Then she saw the blood spilled over my shirt and hands. Her eyes widened.

"You didn't. Oh God, tell me you didn't…'

"I didn't." I said and slumped down onto my knees.

"Kagome, I'm serious. Leave."

"How much blood have you lost? Are you okay? Inuyasha!"

"Kagome-" I bent over and coughed, tasting thick blood in my mouth.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome cried.

Then, the blood drained from my face when the familiar scent of death drenched the air. A strange sound like a swift gust of wind echoed between the trees. Kagome took in a sharp breath and stood. I heard the twinge of a bow string as it tightened.

"Kagome- Kagome- NO! No. Get out now!" I growled.

"I'm not leaving you Inuyasha." She sniffed.

"Kagome!-" The sound came again, this time it was closer. "Please. Don't-" Closer still. The demonic energy was heavy again. Kagome didn't move. I was frantic.

"Either we face it here together or we escape together Inuyasha," She choked. "I'm not leaving you." She aimed her bow along the trees.

I could feel it coming. The transformation. My body was shutting down but my instincts still shouted 'DANGER.' I couldn't. I'd kill her too. Even though I was being controlled by Magatsuhi the last time I changed doesn't mean I would be able to control myself this time. I bit down on my tongue. I had to protect her in this form or not at all.

"Ok, alright. Hurry." I forced myself up. She eased her arrow down and looked at me incredulously.

"We're leaving _now_." I said sternly. The oppressing aura was partially veiled by Kagome's warm, gentle one. But the threat was still there. It occurred to me that this guy, whoever-whatever he was could attack any minute, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing in this body. Kagome could- could… My heart beat like crazy. "Now!" I shouted at her. Kagome swung the bow over her shoulder and ducked her head under my arm. The moment she touched me my hatred subsided just enough to subdue the demon instinct. However, I could still barely walk. She half carried me down the path. The pain was unbearable, it felt like it was attacking my heart now. I groaned in pain.

"It's okay. We're almost there." I heard Kagome say. She looked over my arm behind us. "It was him wasn't it." She asked.

My lungs were aching. I clenched my fists. I nodded in response to Kagome's question. I guessed by "him" she was refering to the guy who had us on a wild goose chase the other night. The crazy I just got beat to a bloody pulp by. I cringed. That was the man she had seen? He could of _killed_ her. My lungs jolted again. My knees gave out and I leaned over, coughing up blood.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome cried nervously. I shut my eyes tight and sucked in air through my teeth. Slowly, I stood and picked up a faster pace. I had to make sure she got out.

A few minutes later we broke through the forest border. I didn't understand how. Why weren't we attacked? If he is after Kagome, why didn't he do anything? I hoped it meant he was really after me and was just trying to make me squirm by going after her. But why wouldn't he finish me off then? Was he afraid I would transform? Why would he tell me Kagome was his…_prey_. I asked myself all these questions I couldn't answer, but deep down I still feared Kagome was the main target.

I heard Sango and Miroku call out to us and run up the hill. Kagome pleaded for me to stay awake. I couldn't. I blacked out.


	21. Beloved

**21 - Beloved**

Back in Kaede's hut…

I gritted my teeth and tried to keep from growling as Kaede poured something cool over my wound. My whole body felt like I was on fire. I'd gotten holes stabbed through me before, but it didn't feel like this. It felt like my flesh was being eaten away at. Not the mention the fact that my mind was still fuzzy because all I could hear in my head was my skin tearing apart. It turns out I wasn't as ripped up as I thought I would be. Just a single hole was punched right through the middle of my chest. It sure felt like I was being eaten alive though.

Kaede switched tactics and applied hot liquid instead. I grabbed a pillow next to me and held it over my face to keep from screaming.

A cool hand rested on my skin above the cavity in my chest, momentarily easing the pain. "Kaede, do you think it would help to purify it?" I could make out Kagome's voice. Everything else was still so echoed and fuzzy. I didn't get what the hell was wrong with me.

The searing pain was back again. I shut my eyes tight and bit my lip. It was unbelievable. But I had to stay in control. Suddenly, I felt a cooling sensation across my chest, it dulled the pain and I relaxed a little. I realized it was Kagome purifying the wound. She would use up all of her energy that way, but I couldn't argue. After a few minutes, I felt much better. I let go of the pillow and opened my eyes when someone lifted it away.

The first person I saw was Kagome. She carefully clasped my hand when she noticed me looking at her.

"Inuyasha- I'm so sorry." She said. I could tell she had been crying.

"Shh. No. Don't apologize. It's okay." I grunted. My voice sounded so abrasive and strained, it didn't even sound like me. I rubbed Kagome's hand with my thumb in a gentle circle. "But you shouldn't have come after me though. That was stupid. Why didn't you stop her?" I smirked and looked angrily at Miroku who just shrugged and said "Nobody tells me anything." _Yeah, right. Poor you. _I laughed despite how irritating he was being. Actually I was surprised he didn't spout, "I smell barbeque" or something like that, which could actually be funny if this situation left any room for humor. But any idiot with half a brain could tell this was not a funny matter.

"Dumb-ass." I snorted after a moment, not entirely sure who I was directing it to.

"So what exactly happened out there?" Miroku inquired. I glanced at Kagome's worried face. "Not now, Miroku." I said warningly.

But the dumb-ass persisted. "When then?" I saw him also glance at Kagome. "This is serious Inuyasha, we all deserve to know."

I stared him down. "It really isn't worth telling. It's boring actually."

"Oh really?" He said sarcastically.

"Yeah." I said dryly.

"Tell him." It was Kagome. I turned my head and looked at her. Her face was blank; it was driving me insane.

I sighed deeply. "He was a real son-ova-bitch." I said, rougher than I anticipated. "I finally found him. He was standing right in front of me. Then out of nowhere, he was behind me putting his Goddamn fist through my back." I tried to laugh but it turned into a painful groan. Kagome's grip on my hand tightened. I matched her grip to reassure her. "I'm okay. Relax." She looked so nervous.

"I have no idea what the hell happened okay? But it's over so drop it." I directed at Miroku. I stared at the ceiling and took a few glances at Kagome; her jaw was tense and the hand that held mine was trembling. My stomach twisted. Maybe I approached that explanation a little too bluntly, more careful word choice may have been a good idea.

Then, apparently everyone decided it was a good time to start a twenty-questions session, which damn near drove me crazy.

"How bad is the wound?" Sango asked.

"I'm not sure." Kagome answered softly.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Shippou sounded panicked.

"Yeah, he'll be fine." Tears were starting to pool in Kagome's eyes. I looked up at her through half-lidded eyes. I saw the fear and sadness she was feeling and furrowed my brow in concentration. If I could just get myself healed faster, she wouldn't have to do this. The look on her face killed me, I couldn't let this happen any more.

"Maybe there's something that will heal it faster. Is there?" Sango asked. Kagome didn't say anything.

"No herb has the capacity to heal him faster than his own body." Miroku argued.

"Can't you purify the wound or something?" Miroku asked Kagome.

"I'm trying!" She yelped. A tear rolled down her cheek.

The sharp sound made my ears twitch. "Guys, leave 'er alone." I ordered in the strongest voice I could muster, which still sounded surprisingly raspy. _God, no wonder they think I'm dying._

Everyone looked awkwardly around the room for a few minutes after that. I gazed at Kagome who still had one hand over my chest. I was starting to feel a pleasant warm feeling right where the searing pain used to be. The way she captivated me, I didn't understand. And her abilities as a priestess were even more mysterious. I closed my eyes and sighed contently. She was safe, that's all that mattered.

"Can we get you anything?" Shippou said hopefully. I opened my eyes and looked around at a bunch of hopeful faces. I couldn't help but laugh. "What are we pampering me now?" They waited. I growled. "No! There isn't any- Actually," I paused. "… I could use some privacy." I watched as all of their eyes narrowed. "You see, I was planning on getting in the bath now and I know you guys love a good view and all but uh-" They were already filing out the door. Kagome looked down at me. "You're staying." I whispered and I squeezed her hand tighter. She turned her attention back to the purifying.

When everyone was gone, I attempted to get Kagome to relax, tell me what she was feeling.

"Kagome." I said.

"Kaagooomeee…" I said again, dragging out her name.

I sighed. "You're not mad at me are you?" I asked wearily.

"No!" That got her attention. She looked down at me. Practically horrified by my assumption.

"It would be understandable if you were." I said matter-of-factly.

She just shook her head and looked away from me again.

"It's my fault." She murmured.

"It is not your-"

"Yes it is! He's after me! He hurt you!"

"Because I went after the bastard. Kagome, it was my choice." I used my most convincing voice possible. Of course, here I was arguing with her, _choice_ as my defense. Not one of my greatest talents, choice making…I don't like it when other people use it as an excuse for their actions either.

"What if he comes into the village next?" She sobbed. "What if he had hurt Rin? I can't live with that Inuyasha, I can barely live with this!" She gestured towards me. "It's not fair to anyone for this to be happening because of me!"

"Come here." I pulled on her shirt. "Kagome, come _here_." I pulled harder until she eased down to me. I wrapped my arms around her.

"You are _not_ going to blame yourself for this." I growled.

She sniffed and curled her arms up to hug my shoulders. "Promise me, promise me you'll never do that again." She whispered.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Scare me." She said.

We lay there for a long time. I rubbed her back in slow circles and buried my face in her hair. I talked to her all through the night about whatever I could think of. She wouldn't sleep no matter what I did. She just shifted closer until she laid across my chest. She cried quietly. At some point in the night, I felt my wound close up. All that pain, and it was already healed. I still felt Kagome's calming purification radiating through me. But the anger was there. As soon as I lacked her touch, I'd be dying to finish the fight. For the sake of my pride, and my beloved.


	22. Choices

Choices suck. Especially if the choices are hard, and especially-especially if you're the one having to make them. But sometimes, in order to have better choices in the future, you have to make the hard ones first. What makes the choice difficult depends on several factors: who will this decision effect? What will be the consequences? What's the worst possible outcome, or the best? Who will it hurt? There are a lot of things to consider when making a choice that involves these questions. So it's not like I woke up that morning and immediately decided, '_I'm gonna go after that rat bastard…__**today**_.' Although, it kinda happened like that. But honestly, it didn't even cross my mind at first. I woke up and saw Kagome sitting up, looking down at me. I could tell she hadn't slept all night, but her face was still so serene and beautiful, it was the _only_ thing I thought about. But I guess I suddenly had an urge to protect that beauty and serenity. So _then_ I decided: '_I'm going to __**kill**__ that rat bastard…__**today**_.'

I knew Kagome wasn't gonna be happy about that. Like I said, choices suck. Especially if your choice hurts the one you love.


	23. Anger management

**23 - Anger management**

"_WHAT_!" I screamed. "What are you talking about!"

"Kagome, shhh. Just hold on-"

"No! What are you even saying? Even after- that! And- ahh! No!" I couldn't think straight, let alone finish a complete sentence. I flung my hands up in the air. "Absolutely not going to happen!"

"I know it sounds dumb and I don't like it either, but this guy… whatever he is, is dangerous Kagome. I'm not taking any more chances." He pulled his robe on over his shoulders. He looked at me like _I_ was the one being unrealistic. "I am going after him."

"No. No you're not." I spat. I felt so childish. Here he was reasoning with me and I was too upset to even hear it.

"Kagome…" He sighed.

"No. Not Kagome!" I tried to repeat his tone with it came out as a whimper. "There isn't any reason to go after him! It's unprovoked! Just don't-"

"Unprovoked? Kagome, the guy threatened you, twice! He punched a hole through my chest!"

"So it's about _revenge_?" I shrieked. "Everything's not about revenge Inuyasha!"

"That's not what I'm doing Kagome, it's about stopping him before he hurts anyone else. You said yourself, he could come into the village!" He growled.

I sat there on the floor. The lump in my throat was practically choking me. "I'm coming with you then."

"No. You're not," He kneeled on the floor in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. "Please Kagome, I know this is hard, but it'll be okay."

I shook my head slowly and stared at the floor, the tears finally overflowed and ran down my face. Inuyasha scooted closer and pulled me against him. I was too numb to hug back.

"Please. Stay for a few more days…think about it and-" I murmured.

"I can't."

"Why not?" I cried.

"Don't be upset," He pulled away from me. "This is just like any other fight."

"Why are you treating me like a baby! I have a say in this!" I yelled.

He let out an irritated sigh. "I'm not treating you like a baby. But you're being very stubborn and you're not making this any easier."

There was silence. A silence that rang in my ears. I looked pleadingly back at him. "Stay." I whispered. His expression suddenly softened and he looked away from me for a moment. "Please?" I said.

He gazed into my eyes for a long time. His brow furrowed slightly, I hoped so much that he was actually listening to me. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He then stood and headed for the door. My heart sunk into my stomach.

"You asked what else I loved about you?" I murmured. He stopped halfway to the door, his head cocked slightly to the side. "I love the way you make my heart speed up every time you touch me. The way you hold me and make me feel so safe. I love your laugh, even if I don't know why you're laughing." I smiled despite the sick feeling in my stomach. "And I love how much I love you, no matter what…" He turned his head and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I focused on wringing my hands in my lap so I wouldn't have to look at him. "But I _hate_ that you think that the only way you can protect me is by leaving me behind." I took a staggered deep breath and glanced briefly at him. He was facing me now, his lips were parted slightly and his eyes gazed sadly back into mine. "If you leave now, you'll be hurting me more than _he_ has."

His face flinched slightly and I watched a painful expression spread across his face.

Then, a wave of relief warmed my entire body as he walked back across the room and slumped down next to me on the floor. I turned to face him. He was studying me so carefully, I held my breath. I wish I knew what he was thinking, but I was thankful enough to still have him with me. Carefully, I leaned against him and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and held me against him.

Soon enough, he broke the silence with a long sigh. "Kagome-" He started, but the words seemed to fail him. "I-" He growled in the back of his throat. The sound vibrated in my ear. We sat in silence once again. "I made a promise," he said between his teeth. "I promised I would protect you with my life."

"You haven't broken that promise." I answered weakly.

"Not yet."

"Who says you're going to?" I asked. "If you're here with me, then what is there to be worried about?"

"I need to find _him_ before he hurts _you_." He said tensely. "Don't you understand? You're all I have Kagome, you're my life. How can you expect me to wait for _him_ to make a move?" He squeezed me closer to him.

"Because, I won't be able to stay sane knowing you're out fighting and I'm sitting here doing nothing. If anything happens, at least we'll be together."

"What if he's really after me and by staying here I'm putting you in danger?" He suggested, I got the sense he didn't actually believe that.

"Then it would be my own fault if something happened to me because I'd be getting in the way. But as I recall, you've gotten in-between me and danger plenty of times, so we could be even."

He made a frustrated sound. "No. Kagome- that's not…"

"What?" I said.

"It's not the same thing." He snapped.

"Why not?"

"It's- just- not."

"That's not a reason."

"So what then, you're saying that if anything happens to you, I'm not supposed to feel bad because it was _your_ idea to do nothing?" He said incredulously. "Great, Kagome- But I'm afraid I love you more than that."

I bit my bottom lip. He seemed to have an answer for everything, and they weren't half-bad answers either. But I found it hard to care anymore because it seemed he was giving up on leaving. "So, you're staying then?" I murmured.

He groaned. "We'll see…You know, I'm kinda surprised you didn't just sit me."

"I considered it." I said warningly.

"But you know I have to do something before the next new moon, that vulnerability would be too much of a risk."

"I know," I said curtly. Although, I'm not sure I did. What exactly did Kerberos tell him that had him so anxious? I tilted my head up to look at him innocently. "But that gives you plenty of time!" I chirped with a smile.

He gave me a disapproving glance. My smile faded. "Humph. Well you're the one who said to 'drop it.'"

"Quit using my words against me." He chuckled. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. I tingled all over.

A sudden vision of my latest dream about Kerberos popped into my head. The part where Sango and Miroku were trying to pull me away and Inuyasha standing before the dark cloaked figure. I was yelling at him to run, but he didn't listen.

If I refused to let him leave me now, then he was going to have the instinct to defend me later. Especially if Kerberos came to the village. I thought maybe I should tell him about the dream, but then I felt uneasy about it; I barely understood it's meaning myself. I decided that as long as he wasn't leaving right away, I might as well drop it for now. It was so tiring to have to deal with this when I had barely been back a week. I looked at his hand that held mine and wondered when our happily-ever-after was going to start.


	24. Cuteness Prevails

**24 - Cuteness prevails**

_It looks like it's going to be a beautiful sunny day_! I thought as I hurried to find Kagome. I was pretty sure she would be with Inuyasha, but she was always interested in what I said so I was certain she would be happy to see me. She had looked so scared and worried for Inuyasha last night, I only hoped I could cheer her up.

Anyway, I had just finished my morning rounds, saying good morning to everyone the way I always did. I decided to stay in the village for a few extra days instead of leaving for training, just to make sure things calm down around here. After what happened last night, I don't think it would be wise or safe for me to leave the village. Inuyasha needs me here to whip him into shape whenever he gets off track, at least, that was my job for the last three years. Now it seems Kagome had taken over that job again. Though, I've noticed she's not quite as quick to 'sit' him, which takes some of the fun out of it for me. They are both much kinder to each other than they have been in the past, especially Inuyasha. By 'kinder' I mean every time you turn around he's kissing her forehead or she's jumping in his arms or something. I just hope their relationship doesn't take priority and she starts ignoring me. Cause then Inuyasha can bully me all he likes and no one will save me! Not that I need to be saved- But I'm just a little guy!

As I was saying, hurrying to Kaede's hut, excited to see Kagome, suddenly having an urge to boss Inuyasha around. I marched up the porch and peeked in the door. Inuyasha and Kagome were sitting on the floor leaning on each other. Kagome's eyes were closed, and I thought she might be sleeping, but I decided to check. When Inuyasha saw me tiptoeing closer his lifted his head up and glared at me. I ignored him.

"Is she sleeping?" I whispered.

Inuyasha's lip twitched and it looked like he was about to snap something at me, but Kagome slowly opened her eyes and looked over at me.

"No…" She sat up and stretched a little. "Just resting. Good morning Shippo." She said with a smile.

I ran up to her and jumped in her lap. I heard Inuyasha grumble something. He scooted closer to her and looked at me suspiciously. _Jeez, what a puppy guarder_. "What, can't you share?" I pouted at him and stuck out my tongue.

Obviously, that annoyed him and he tried to grab me away from Kagome.

"No! Nooo! Kagome help me!" I cried.

"Inuyasha stop it!" She smacked his hand away and cradled me closer. Inuyasha could tell I was being extremely innocent on purpose… he looked angry. It wasn't my fault girls liked to cuddle me. I'm a more convenient size!

Inuyasha growled and tucked his hands into his sleeves. I saw it as the signal that I now had authority. I beamed up at Kagome and told her about all the cool things we could do today. She thought a trip to the hot springs sounded fun, but Inuyasha shot it down.

"No _way_ I am allowing you to go into those woods."

Kagome's face suddenly became stern. "Oh, right. I guess that wouldn't be a good idea."

I wasn't worried though. "It'll be fine! I'll be there, and Sango will come and-" Inuyasha cut me off.

"Time for you to leave now Shippo." He stood up and pointed to the door. Kagome and I blinked up at him for a moment.

"Why!" I blurted.

Inuyasha made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "Because you're annoying." He leaned down to grab me. I put my cute technique to use again.

"No! Kagome! Don't let him take me! I just want to be with you! Pleeease!"

"Inuyasha! He doesn't have to leave." Kagome said sternly.

"Ah- I- Don't you see what he's doing? He's- He's- Look! See? He's doing it right now!" He pointed at me.

I wiped off the mocky face I was making and peered up at him sadly from Kagome's chest and whimpered. "I- I don't know what he's talking about…" Inuyasha looked horrified. His fingers twitched nervously.

Kagome looked down at me then glared up at Inuyasha. "Doing what? I don't know what you're talking about either!"

Inuyasha babbled about how I was being cute on purpose just so I could steal time away from him to be with her. Kagome didn't like that theorizing very much. I buried my face in her shirt while they yelled at each other simultaneously. Finally, she 'sat' him and the argument ended with a big 'BOOOOM.' I giggled softly. _Stupid Inuyasha. _I thought_. When will you __**learn**__._

"I wanna go to da hot spings!" I yelled without moving away from Kagome. When I didn't get a response, I peeked out at Inuyasha, whose face was now much closer to the floor, and gave him the stink eye. He slammed his palms against the floor and pried himself up.

"That's. Too. Bad." He grinded through his teeth.

"Inuyasha, I honestly don't see any harm in-" Inuyasha interrupted her by breaking into a fit of sarcastic laughter. "No." He snapped at the end.

Kagome stood up quickly with me tucked in between her arm and her side. "I don't think we need to be _that _paranoid. I want a bath! So why not?"

"You don't need a bath! You smell fine!"

"Well soory! But it's really not up to _you_!" Kagome said. She walked past him to the door.

"Kagome! If you don't listen to me-" He raised his hands in the air as if trying to catch persuasive words that were floating around the room.

"Why don't you just come with us Inuyasha." Kagome said pointedly.

I guess he decided it wasn't a big deal, or maybe he ran out of things to support his argument, because he followed us all the way to the springs.

…

Sango agreed to come with us, she met up with us at the springs a little after we got there. She didn't seem to mind the fact that Inuyasha was sitting a mere arm span away in the nearest tree. Though, she talked about really boring stuff like hair and skin care so maybe she was doing it on purpose.

I floated and splashed around the little pool. I squirted water through my mouth at Kagome a few times to get her to chase me. She was careful to keep herself hidden under the water though so it wasn't as fun. I didn't get what the big deal was, even if Inuyasha was peeking, it's not like it should be awkward or anything. Inuyasha once told me that in Kagome's time, everyone is much more cautious with things like marriage and having families, they don't rush into it. I told him I'd seen enough 'caution' to last eternity. My head was bruised for five whole days!

Suddenly, Inuyasha called down to us. "Aren't the three of you pruned enough yet?"

Sango smirked. "Nope… Hey Inuyasha, why don't you come in? I'd better be getting back anyway."

I saw Kagome blush and sink deeper into the water.

"Ha ha," Inuyasha said stoically. "How 'bout you take your dumb ideas with you."

"Humph," Sango fussed. "Well you don't need to get rude, it was only a suggestion." She stood up and grabbed her towel. "Well maybe we should both go before we get woozy, Kagome."

"Yeah," Kagome said, following Sango's lead. She had brought traditional miko attire to change into. "Hey Sango, would you mind keeping me company for one other thing?" She said as she dressed quickly.

"Sure, for what?" She asked.

Kagome tied the sash of the robe around herself and then kneeled to hold out a towel for me. "Practice." Kagome answered calmly. I saw Inuyasha's ears twitch curiously.

"Practice? Practice for what?" Sango asked confused.

"I want to make sure I still know how to shoot an arrow…just in case."


	25. Like Riding a Bike

**25 - Like riding a bike**

"I can't believe it!" I squealed as I ran out of the house. Kagome turned around as I came down the hill, "Oh my gosh Sango!" She squealed back as she threw her hands up to her head.

"I know! I _know_!" I sounded like a giddy teenager, but I couldn't help it. I raced down the hill with my Hirikotsu slung over my shoulder and my tight black uniform clinging to me in every place imaginable. "It FITS!" I yelled as I collided into Kagome and sent us both flying onto the grass.

"Oww." She groaned as I stood and helped her up.

"Sorry," I said. "Why didn't you move?"

"Would have it mattered?"

"Probably not."

I turned to Inuyasha and Miroku who were standing at a safe distance away. Miroku gawked while Inuyasha looked pissed off at me for clobbering his girlfriend.

"You guys can leave now," I said happily. "What's girl bonding time with you two breathing down our necks?"

Inuyasha folded his arms defiantly. "I don't really trust you anymore." He grumbled.

"Oh, shut up. I'll take care of her." I wrapped my arm around Kagome's waist and guided her away, smiling at the boys over my shoulder.

We headed for a large field behind the village that would be perfect for practicing. "I hope I can still do this…" Kagome murmured nervously as he handled her bow in her hands.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kagome. You can't forget the things _you_ learned."

We stopped across the field from a large tree that was rotting away. It would be our target.

I noticed Kagome watching me expectantly.

"I'll _observe_ first." I said with a smile.

She nodded, turned to an angle and readied her arrow. I watched her eyes lock on her target and then focus intently. Her elbow eased back and her fingers released, sending a stream of purplish light from her bow. The force of it was amazing, it felt like I got smacked with a wave of pure energy. The arrow shot through the air with lightning speed until it pierced the thick trunk of the tree, thousands of purple sparks exploding from it.

"I did it!" She squeaked.

"See? What I tell ya! There's no _way_ you'd forget how to shoot!"

Kagome smiled brightly as she lowered her bow. "Like riding a bike!" She exclaimed.

"Sure…" I vaguely remembered that contraption called a bicycle that Kagome used to ride around on. I did, however, remember the many times Inuyasha broke it, causing all hell to break loose.

"I wonder if I can still…" Kagome's voice trailed off.

"Still what?"

"Well…" She lifted another arrow to the bow and concentrated once again. After a few moments, she looked confused. I got the feeling something was supposed to be happening. She furrowed her brow and closed her eyes. I watched her curiously as I leaned on my Hirikotsu. Then, the arrow took off again. This time, the arrow vanished right before it hit the tree, seemed to phase through it, and materialized on the other side.

"Nice!" I yelled.

She seemed to sigh with relief. "Thanks." She smiled.

We stayed out in that field for at least another hour. Kagome shot the rest of her arrows, making them phase through the tree and shoot out on the other side. I threw my Hirikotsu several times, realizing how heavy it felt after three years of neglecting my arm muscles. We both got tired at about the same time, so we started walking across the field to retrieve the arrows.

After a few minutes of walking quietly, Kagome started up a conversation. "Hey Sango?" She chirped.

"Hmm?" I said watching a hawk circle over the nearby trees.

"What's it like to be married?" She asked.

The question was a little unexpected. A little meaning 'where the heck did that come from', but I thought I'd try to give her a good answer.

"Well, it's not really too different from just being really close to someone. But it's a commitment, you know? It takes your relationship to the _ultimate_ level, or the ultimate level that's after the _ultimate_ level."

"So… it's epic?" Kagome teased in a stoic tone.

I laughed. "I guess you could say that." I paused for a moment and tried to think of a better way to say what I was maybe trying to say. "It feels like you're standing on solid ground all the time. I guess it depends on the guy, but for Miroku and I, that's how it feels. It just clicks into place and…things make sense. That's the way love is."

She didn't answer, and I could imagine why. Things never seemed to make sense with her and Inuyasha. The back and forth made _me_ dizzy sometimes. I would be surprised if she _wasn't_ confused, or at least used to be.

Though I could see it in the way he looked at her, he loved her from the start. Of-course I had an advantage, you notice more when you have a birds-eye view of the situation. Kagome was practically blinded by his indecisiveness and his feelings for Kikyou.

Kagome didn't even realize Inuyasha loved her, I'm not sure he realized it either. It's hard for things to 'click' when your future husband is a womanizing monk, but I suppose it would be even more difficult if your future husband was holding the proverbial blindfold over your face.

When I look at them now, I never would have guessed they were the same people. There's just too much compassion and respect. Sure there have already been a few skirmishes. But Kagome still loves him and I still see that same loving look in Inuyasha's eyes that was always there. So maybe fate did something right.

"Inuyasha loves you a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a proposal on the horizon." I peeked over my shoulder and smiled.

"Really?" She said dreamily, her cheeks stained a light scarlet.

"Mmhmm." I nodded.

The hawk suddenly swooped down into the trees. I cringed thinking about what poor creature was about to get plucked.

A loud squish suddenly sounded from underneath my feet. I looked down to find my feet slowly sinking into the grass. "Ew. Swampy." I kicked my feet out and backed up. "Here, we'll walk across this." There was a large tree trunk partially swallowed by the mud that lay across the field just enough for us to clear the swampy area.

When we were about half way across, I got a somewhat random thought of my own.

"Hey Kagome? You'd tell me if you and Inuyasha, you know…go to the _ultimate_ level?"

"I think you'd know Sango, you'll be invited." She said.

I nearly choked on my own spit. Then I realized she didn't know what I was talking about. "No Kagome, _after_ that." I paused and turned around to face her. "After marriage but before baby in the baby carriage." I clarified. Her expression remained unresponsive, then her eyes suddenly widened and she nearly choked too.

"Ohhhhhh…" She said. "Y-yeah! Of-course! I'll need your advice!"

"Oh no! I didn't mean it like that- I just want to make sure it's what you want- that he's not rushing it. You don't have to do it as soon as me and Miroku did." I realized this conversation was probably a speeding arrow heading nowhere.

Kagome walked a few steps closer, her arms stretched out for balance. "Wait, when did you two-do it?" She whispered.

"The night after we got married." I said matter-of-factly.

I watched as Kagome swayed to the side, her face drawing total blank. I realized that speeding arrow had just hit a stone wall. It was one of those 'here's your card' moments, as they call them. _Smooth Sango, real smooth._

She wobbled precariously on the log, swinging her arms around as she tried to regain her balance. I rushed back to her and grabbed her by the arm, but it was too late. She stumbled and fell, dragging me with her. We landed flat on our stomachs in at least three-foot-deep mud.

After the initial shock of falling in, the mayhem began. Kagome yelped and pried herself out of it. She managed to stand but then staggered backward, landing back in the mud.

"Graceful." I said sarcastically.

"Look who's talking." She mumbled.

"You dragged me in! What was with the sudden fit of un-coordination?" I said.

"Well you're the one who brought _it_ up! Why'd we have to talk about _that _of all things? When you said ultimate level, I thought you meant marriage!" She shouted.

"I did! But then I wanted to ask you about…_that_- but I didn't think it would stun you!"

"Well- it did! Night after? Really? I'm not ready- I'm 19 for krypes sakes!"

"I didn't say you had to, it's just what me and Miroku did! We were in the moment and-"

"Ahh! I don't wanna hear it! I'm not listening - ala la la-!"

I shut my mouth and just sat there smugly, a very _bad _idea churning in my head. I picked up a handful of mud in my hand and chucked it right at her face, she dodged it by an inch. She narrowed her eyes at me and picked up a fist a mud and chucked it back at me. I didn't even bother to move, it hit my arm and melted down until it plopped back down into the mud.

I hesitated a moment, then attacked, sending two blobs hurling at her. She screamed and did the same. We dodged as much as we could, but there was too much mud. Trying to avoid getting dirty was pretty much futile at this point. We tried to keep our mouths closed, though it was practically impossible we were laughing so uncontrollably. The last throw she made at me hit me square in the stomach, and the last I threw at her smacked into the back of her head. After that, we just started lunging at each other; wrestling the other down until they were pinned in the sludge. It was probably one of the weirdest things I'd done in a while, but whatever. It happens.

Eventually, we stopped abruptly, sat up and looked at each other like 'what the hell are we doing?' It was strangely funny, but confusing at the same time.

I'm not sure who won the battle, but if anyone asked, I won the war.

* * *

**Hey readers! I thought I would go ahead and put a note right on here cause I've got some splaining to do! I realize this chapter and the ones following it are fluff, fluff, filler fluff, but you won't have to wait much longer to get more action. So just sit tight, relax, enjoy reading, and I'll get out more chapters as fast as I can!**


	26. Miroku's analysis

Inuyasha and I left the girls to their practicing and walked back up towards the house. We found some shade and sprawled out underneath it. It had been a long time since I had found myself like this; laying around in the shade while Sango was off doing her own thing. It had always been either her, the twins, or work for the past three years that kept me occupied. Of course, I couldn't love any three things more, other than world peace I suppose, but that's a reach in and of itself. Still, change is usually a good thing, even if it's a change that has simply returned. Now, things were varying again. One of the best things about it is that Sango has some productive entertainment. I, on the other hand… am still stuck with Inuyasha.

After a while I sat up, desiring my own form of entertainment. I looked over at Inuyasha. His arms were folded tight across his chest, his mouth was shaped into a scowl and he was jittering his foot constantly, I guess some sort of nervous habit.

"Something on your mind?" I asked. I barely had to open my mouth for him to spill his entire mind all over the place.

"Why does Kagome think she needs to practice fighting?" He scoffed. "It's not like she's actually gonna have to fight anybody!"

"Perhaps she just wishes to help if more trouble arises. Don't forget, she once was an active fighter." _In fact she saved our skins on numerous occasions._

"I know. I know. But that's different. She shouldn't have to fight now."

"Inuyasha-" I let out an exasperated sigh. "Try and think about the situation from her point of view…" Inuyasha rolled his head up and looked at me stubbornly like I was boring him with a lecture. "You should comfort her more. Talk to her about it. Otherwise, you're going to scare her when you suddenly decide you're leaving." I said earnestly.

"You know I don't have a choice. If I find him first, this can be over before she gets hurt." He snapped.

"I understand. But Kagome hasn't been here very long and some lunatic is already after her. As much as you think you need to hunt down this person, you must remember that she needs you here too." I answered sternly.

There were a few minutes of silence as I waited for his response. "I can't be in two places at once Miroku," Inuyasha muttered.

Just then, the two girls trudged up over the hill. My jaw dropped a little at the peculiar sight before me. They were coated in _mud_ of all things.

They stopped short a few feet from where we sat. Kagome glanced around at random places in the sky, averting eye contact, while Sango had this deep-in-thought look on her face.

I looked up at my wife and furrowed my brow slightly.

"What happened?" I said looking her up and down. The two girls glanced at each other as if they were just as confused as we were.

"Uh- We kind of got carried away…" Kagome murmured. She turned her head towards Sango and pursed her lips, seemingly to keep from laughing.

"Phh, kind of?" Sango snorted.

Kagome smiled widely, then laughed nervously. "Uh- heh-heh. Maybe a lot."

I couldn't help chuckling. "We can't leave you two alone for very long can we?" Sango rolled her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? We're perfectly independent women thank you! Right Kagome?"

"Yes." Kagome didn't even seem to hear the conversation. She was trying to brush some of the mud off her face but it just smeared it around more. Then she smiled at the twins as they squealed loudly and chased each other around the yard.

"Besides," Sango sighed. I looked back at my wife with a purposeful skeptical expression. "Kagome started it." She placed her hands on her hips. The gesture sparked my interest.

Kagome snapped out of whatever trance she had been in and turned her attention back to Sango, she looked insulted. "Me? You threw mud at me _first_!"

"Yeah- but you made me do it." Sango leaned towards her.

"Na-uhh! You started talking about-that thing!" Kagome whined.

"Ladies, ladies, lets not make a bad influence on the children shall we?" I cut in. Inuyasha was hunched over laughing, typical of him to enjoy moments such as this.

Kagome looked down at him. There was something uneasy about her expression that I caught immediately. My conclusion: definitely the product of girl talk. Inuyasha lifted his head and looked up at her and when their eyes locked she blushed a deep red. He raised one eyebrow when he noticed the change.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"N-nothing! No- don't worry about it!" She stammered.

"Are you okay? Why are you acting weird?" He stood up and took a step towards her.

"No that's okay! I was just going! Got to get the mud out of my ears cause I think my hearing is getting fuzzy!" I noted she was talking louder than necessary and she was laughing nervously again. I glanced at my wife. Her lips were pressed together and her eyes were wide. The anxiousness practically screamed, 'shut up, shut up, shut up.'

"Yep! I'm just gonna go now. Nothing weird- just mud wrestling. Ha ha!"

Sango slapped her hand to her face. It made a loud splat sound because of the mud. I leaned back down onto the grass and sighed.

Inuyasha stared after Kagome until she disappeared into the house. Then he slowly turned to face Sango. "What did you do?" He said suspiciously. I could tell he would have liked to have added the words 'this' and 'time' to the end of the question.

"I didn't do anything." Sango said innocently then scooted off after Kagome, leaving us there to figure out the pieces of the puzzle.

"Keh- women." Inuyasha snorted.


	27. Place to call home

**27 - Place to call home**

To be honest, I'd been keeping a little secret from Kagome. With all the damn chaos, it had barely crossed my mind at all. But the day seemed to lag on and on. In a moment of pure boredom, I suddenly remembered what I was dying to show her.

After Kagome went home for three years, I had… a lot of spare time on my hands. I didn't really feel like doing anything. But I always hoped that she would come back somehow. And so, when the villagers asked me to help them build three houses for new families, I agreed, but I built four instead. The fourth house, was remote and a little bigger than the others. It was near the river at the top of a small hill where it hid in the shadows of large oak trees. The walls, floor, and roof were all made of the strongest wood I could find. I was pretty proud of the finished product. And I hadn't shown it to anyone, it was completely untouched.

This house, I built for Kagome.

I decided I would take her there. I was about time she didn't have to play sleepover at other people's houses anymore. So while she was hiding in Sango's house acting unusually weird, I paid the house a long awaited visit to get it ready for her.

When I was building it, I tried to make it as much like her modern house as realistically possible. Though I didn't bother to deal with decorations or homely touches or anything. I figured she would have fun with that job. I just got rid of all the dust and spiders.

After dinner, I snuck outside Kaede's hut and waited for Kagome to leave. She, Sango, Miroku, and their three bundles of joy stepped out together, unaware that I was on the roof waiting in the shadows. Kagome told them goodnight and watched them leave up the hill.

I gripped the side of the roof and peeked down at her. I had this crazy idea to swoop down like a bat out of hell and carry her away, just for laughs. Though she would probably be stupid enough to 'sit' me and we'd end up falling out of the sky, so I reconsidered my course of action. I'd wait until she walked away to go and look for me, then I'd run up behind her, push her on the ground and say "Tag you're it!" and run off. Then she'd chase me all the way to the house. Or… she'd give up and go back to Kaede's…There was only one way to find out.

Besides, all that romantic stuff is for posers anyway. Flower peddles and butterfly kisses don't attract women, action does- dah.

But Kagome still hadn't moved from the porch. I couldn't figure out what she was doing, but I was getting impatient. _Idiot, why are you just standing there? Move! Go baka!_ I narrowed my eyes at her when she sighed heavily.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" She asked without even glancing in my direction.

I reveled in shock for a moment, then, I quickly jumped down from the roof and covered her eyes with my hands. _I should've known she's be able to tell where I was. Damn, there goes the fun._

"I know it's you!" She laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Close your eyes." I said in her ear.

"Why?" She voiced suspiciously.

"Mm, can't tell you that," I scooped her up in my arms. "Close 'em!" I said sternly.

She sighed angrily. "Fine," she huffed. She closed her eyes and buried her head in my chest. Satisfied that she couldn't peak, I began a swift run out of the village. The lanterns lining the road whizzed by, creating a steady stream of light until we were on the path to the river. The houses of the village gradually disappeared from sight.

It hadn't occurred to me she might rather live closer to Sango and the others. Her and Sango were practically joined at the hip these days, much to my annoyance. But I'd take my chances.

We stopped just a little ways from the house. The sun hadn't set yet, basking the trees in an orange light. "Ok," I sighed. I eased her down while keeping her facing me. Scratching the back of my head nervously, I tried to figure out how I was going to present this.

"Inuyasha, details would be nice," She said sweetly.

I covered her eyes again and turned her around, guiding her slowly forward. "You're not going to push me off of something are you?" She slowed her walk and grabbed my arms.

"Nope."

"I feel like I'm gonna run into something!" She stuck her arms out and leaned back against me nervously. I urged her forward.

"Quit being such a baby." I growled.

"So, it's a surprise?" She asked timidly.

"Yes."

"Is it a goood surprise?"

"Maybe."

"Is it a puppy?" She exclaimed over-excitedly. _Don't even start with the dog jokes… _I thought bitterly.

"No." I snorted.

"It's not my birthday. Is it a party? Someone I haven't seen in a while? Ooh! Wait is it-no. Oh wait!-"

"Kagome," I interrupted.

"Yeah?" she answered warily.

"Welcome home," I whispered and lifted my hands away.

I stepped off to the side to watch her blink confusedly. She then placed a hand on her heart and pointed the other hand accusingly at the house.

"House?" She yelled randomly.

"Yes," I said.

"This is ours?" She squeaked.

"Mmhmm. It's a little small and kind of remote, but if you like it then-"

She suddenly flung herself at me and hooked her arms around my neck. "You're amazing!" She sobbed.

"Uhhh," was my clever response.

She loosened her grip and stood on her tiptoes to give me a kiss on the lips.

"When? How?" She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"While you were back home," I said. "With my hands." I raised my hands up and wiggled my fingers.

She stepped hesitantly towards the house, "Can I-?"

"Yeah! Go on!" I gestured towards the house. "It's yours."

She took off running and disappeared in the front door. After a few seconds, she came running back out and leaned on the porch railing to stare at me.

"Come on! What are you doing?" She ran back inside.

I chuckled as I made my way up to the house.

Once there, I waited in the doorway for her hyperactivity to wear off. I watched her zip from the bathroom, to the bedroom, to the window, the porch, do a few unnecessary twirls in the middle of the main room, run back to me for a hug, and then back to the bedroom. She flopped on the blankets I had spread out, swinging her arms and legs around like she was making a snow angel.

"This is unbelievable!" She said as she marveled at the ceiling. "I'm so excited!"

"For what?" I asked as I walked across the room.

"To live in it!" She exclaimed. She sat up and looked at me incredulously.

I chuckled. "You _are_ living in it."

"I know, but I want to live in it more!" She flopped down on her back again. "We have a house…" She murmured and smiled brightly at the wood beams spanning across the ceiling.

"Yep," I said distractedly. I sat near the edge of the bed and watched her carefully. My insipid 'yep' was followed by the most obnoxious silence.

"…Now what?" I questioned.

"I don't know…" She said dreamily to the ceiling.

"I'm bored already." I teased.

"Shush! I'm trying to absorb the moment!"

I rolled my eyes. "K, well while you're doing that…"

Slowly, I leaned over her on the bed and pressed closer to her. "…I'll entertain myself." I said. I brushed my lips against hers, loving the way her heart beat increased as our lips then locked together. For some reason, my effect on her was thrilling. It was unlike anything I had ever felt; like she was feeding me surges of raw energy.

I felt her pushing back on my chest. When I leaned up to look at her face I saw a combination of confusion and what looked like slight repulsion. I shrugged and dove my lips to hers again.

I continued to kiss her gently, and the time that our lips remained sealed together began to grow longer every time they touched. I didn't hesitate to run the tip of my tongue along her bottom lip, savoring the sweet taste.

"Inu-" She started to say my name. I cut her off with another kiss. I then wrapped my arms under her back and pulled her up to me. She turned her head to the side just as I was about to make contact with her lips, I caught her jaw line instead. "Um…hey lets calm down there…" She fidgeted restlessly underneath me.

I released her and looked at her skeptically. "I am clam." I said, a bit piqued that she was interrupting me. She looked at me nervously like she didn't believe me.

"Ok, what's goin on?" I asked, frustrated. "What did Sango do that has you all weirded out?"

"I- I don't know what you mean." She said passively.

"Uh-huh. Since when did you start resisting me?" I smirked.

She didn't answer. In fact she looked expectantly at me like I was supposed to know.

"Tell me…" I warned, glaring intensely back at her.

"What?"

"What did Sango do?"

"No." She snapped.

"Kagome!"

"Why are you so mean to me?" She asked.

"Phh! I'm not! I-"

"You are too." She rolled onto her side, pushing me off of her.

I sat back up, my ears flattened slightly in irritation. _I am not. Mean people don't build their girlfriends houses. I built you a damn house didn't I? Way to change the subject by the way, too bad you made it entirely obvious. _

Rather than yelling at her, I tried to think of the best way to get back on her good side. Besides, I had to be nice to her or she wouldn't like me anymore.

I grabbed a blanket from the bed and quickly threw it over her, covering her face. She made a whiny sound and swung her arm up to push it off. I could feel her glaring at me. While watching her from the corner of my eye, I nonchalantly threw another blanket over her. When she crawled out again, I looked in the opposite direction, trying to appear innocent.

She sat up on her knees and seemed to evaluate what to do. Then she scooted forward and threw the blanket over me, holding it down over my head. I lunged and tackled her blindly while still twisted up in the blanket.

"Grrr!" I yelled as I grabbed her. She screamed when I pinned her down and she tried desperately to get away.

"Nope. You can't away!" I said matter-of-factly. "Nope."

She went crazy when I tickled her. She dragged herself along the floor, laughing in agony the entire time. I just hovered over her, continuing to tickle her until she could control herself long enough to tell me to stop.

"Stop! PLEASE stop! INUYASHA!" She screamed.

"Fine." I got up off her and chuckled softly. She laid curled up on the floor with her arms guarding her stomach. Her weak post-tickle-fight laughter came in quick bursts as she tried to catch her breath. Afterwards, she sat up and looked at me blankly. Her gaze swept over me briefly.

"You look dumb." She said as her lips curved upwards.

"So do you." I said blandly. Looking at her frizzed hair and red face.

"Thank you." She said coolly.

"Welcome," I nodded. "So you ready to tell me what's goin' on?"

She groaned and rolled back onto the floor. I sighed and got up, trudging across the room to where she lay with her hair sprawled all over the place.

"Well?" I asked. I crouched down next to her, resting my elbows casually on my knees. She mumbled into the floor and even my ears couldn't pick up what she said.

"What?" I said.

She mumbled again.

"Kagome," I said angrily. "I can't friggin' hear you when-"

"I'm not ready to make babies!" She blurted.

I stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Wha-what?" I choked. I continued to laugh even when she sat up and glared at me.

"It isn't funny!" She demanded.

"Y-yes it is! Ahahahaha!" I quickly regained my composure when she got this sad look on her face.

I cleared my throat, "Where is this coming from huh?"

She hesitated. "You said you wanted to know what me and Sango talked about."

I sighed and let my shoulders slump. "Well, I'm actually pleasantly surprised. By the way you were acting, I thought Sango told you I ate someone or something." I chuckled. Kagome still seemed distraught, she twirled her hair around her finger.  
"Kagome, I would never force you into anything you weren't ready for." I said sincerely. She looked embarrassed.

"Okay?" I said firmly.

"Yes."

"Good then." I leaned in for a kiss, but she blocked me.

I growled. "What 'n the hell woman?"

"I'm just kidding, jeez." She murmured. That's when she lowered her arm and finally relaxed.

We laid back down on the thick blankets and snuggled close. The small room was almost completely dark. The sounds of night apparently settled the right mood for sleeping, Kagome was out within minutes. Her deep breathing filled my ears. I caressed a strand of her hair between my fingers then gave her one last kiss on the lips.

For the first time that night, we slept in _our_ house.


	28. Calm before the storm

**28 - Calm before the Storm**

My head was still buzzing from last night when I stepped out onto the front porch that morning. The sun was unbelievably bright, it made me remember my lack of sleep. Thanks to a certain someone, I had been too distracted to get much rest.

A fresh spring breeze wrapped itself around me. It felt good as it ruffled the light shirt I was wearing and blew across my bare legs. I had slipped off my pants at the last minute before bed, for comfort purposes of course. Inuyasha had gotten a real kick out of my embarrassment.

Though, I had to give him credit, Inuyasha is an amazing kisser. And I can't explain how thankful I was we hadn't gone any further than that. He's not the kind of guy to force me into anything like that. I should've known better; I guess now I do.

My cheeks burned a little thinking of his peaceful sleeping face. Before I came outside, I tried to get him to wake up with me. I kissed his nose lightly. When he kept sleeping, I poked his face and whispered to him; still nothing. I even managed to wiggle out from under his arm without waking him. Somehow he managed to wipe himself out.

Just as I was thinking of him, Inuyasha stepped out onto the porch behind me. I felt his strong arms wrap around me and his chin rest on my shoulder.

"Hello sleepyhead," I greeted. "Did you pass out or something? You slept like a rock."

"Mmm, I dunno. I heard a floorboard squeak so I followed you out here," He murmured sleepily into my hair. "Thanks for the kiss by the way." He brushed against my face lightly.

I blushed, realizing he had been awake the whole time.

"You're welcome," I smiled widely.

"What are you so smiley about?" He asked.

"Oh, stuff." I said, not being able to collect my thoughts enough to come up with anything else.

"Stuff huh? You're kidding." He said dryly. We stood there for a while, rocking softly from side to side as if blowing in the breeze. I rubbed his arm gently, listening to the way he drew in a deep breath each time I lightly raked my finger tips across his skin.

"We could just stay in bed all day," he murmured. "There's nothing else to do anyway."

I sighed happily. I suppose it wouldn't hurt. There wasn't much to do in bed either unless you counted- well… But lazing around all day did sound relaxing, so why not. Suddenly, my brain woke up, made a few lightening-speed synapses, and I remembered where I was supposed to be right now.

"Oh- shhoot! Kaede!" I shouted.

"Wha?" Inuyasha said, the romantic mood dissipating instantly.

"I forgot! I was supposed to meet Kaede this morning!" I lifted his arms away and hurried back into the house.

Inuyasha stepped into the doorway and folded his arms. "What does Kaede want _this_ time?" He groaned.

"I don't know. She wanted me to meet her at her house. She said it was important!" I hopped around the room while I pulled on my socks.

He sighed angrily. "She _always_ says it's important. Can't you take a day off from-_people_?"

"I know, I know. But not today." I said. I tied the sash on my pants and headed for the door, which Inuyasha was blocking completely. I smiled up at him. "Feel like giving me a ride?" I asked hopefully. After a pause, he rolled his eyes and walked back out onto the porch.

"Fine, but then you need to tell Kaede you have a life so you're not running around all the time okay?"

"Fine. Let's go!" I ran at him and jumped at his back, clinging to his neck and wrapping my legs around him.

"Oof! Geez, a little warning please?" He scolded.

"Warning." I said.

He boosted me up so I wasn't strangling him, grumbled something inaudible, and then we were off, sprinting full speed back towards the village.

He hadn't put on his robe of the fire rat and I could feel the warmth radiating through his thin shirt. _It wouldn't have been a big deal if he had taken off his shirt last night, that I wouldn't mind. _I thought. I suddenly couldn't get my mind off his muscular chest. _Think of something else like…Inuyasha's eyes-no-hands? No those are attractive too. Inuyasha's…toes. Yeah Inuyasha's toes…._

We arrived at Kaede's as I guess what I would call fashionably late. Kaede didn't see it that way. I kissed Inuyasha quickly and told him I'd meet up with him later. He didn't seem satisfied. When I turned around on the porch to blow him a kiss, he was already gone. I then went to join Kaede in the kitchen.

"We still need Kudzu and ginseng, but I have the rest of the ingredients here." She explained.

"So what exactly are we making?" I said in a tone that I'll admit lacked enthusiasm. I leaned closely to the pot over the fire and blinked down at the green- brown liquid, I almost gagged.

"It is a calming broth known as Sentä, it centers the spirit and helps with common physical ailments." She stated proudly.

"Mm, I see." I nodded.

Kaede had me add several ingredients she had collected. I did, paying as close attention as possible so a second lesson wouldn't be necessary. She then had me stir the pot slowly for a good ten minutes before she finally said anything.

"That should be good." She sighed.

"Great! Are we done?" I asked, more than a little anxious to meet up with Inuyasha again.

"Done? No. It's just break time!" She said.

My shoulders slumped. "But you said we were just going to make the spirit juice thing." I whined.

Kaede laughed. "I did, but I didn't say we were done making it."

"Could you clean this up for me dear, I'll make us some tea." She indicated the scraps of ingredients littered all over the counter.

_I'm never gonna get outa here. _I thought sadly.

After I was done cleaning, we sat on the front steps and sipped tea. It was an old lady routine, but I didn't mind. Sipping tea beat mud fights any day. But then again, Inuyasha kisses beat tea _and_ mud fights.

As we sat quietly, a man I'd never seen before strode up to us on a snobby looking horse and demanded he speak with Kaede immediately. He looked like some sort of superior errand boy with a sparkly crafted sword and a flowy cape. Kaede nodded as if she knew exactly what it was about. I was curious, but Kaede told me to stay outside as they walked back into Kaede's hut. I pouted a little, mostly because I was left out of the important conversation. Something about it was off. I wondered if it had anything to do with the encounter with Kerberos or the messenger she sent to the neighboring village, which made me all the more curious.

As I sat by myself, it didn't take very long for the twins to find me, so I thought I'd go pick the remaining herbs without Kaede as long as she was busy. I took the twins and some other children from the village with me.

_Of course, I come all the way here and then some random guy shows up and needs to have an important meeting with Kaede. _I didn't see Inuyasha anywhere, so I would just have to deal with it for a while. I escorted the kids along with me and tried my hardest to pretend my thoughts weren't drifting far, far away.


	29. Repetition

**29 - Repetition**

In my dream, I was walking through a field full of little yellow flowers. The children from the village were running around my feet. Birds chirped, a breeze blew and the sun warmed my skin. Things were just as they should be, and I couldn't help but smile.

We arrived back in the village and something didn't feel right.

At first I couldn't figure out what it was, but then I thought, "_Where is everybody?" _Sure enough, there wasn't anyone in sight.

I told the kids to go inside. Just then, a woman peeked her head out of her window. She told me what I already knew.

A chill shot up my spine. This was it. Repetition, repetition. This wasn't a dream.

I ran.

As I got closer to the border of the village, the huts spread out and I could see Inuyasha. My heart leapt frantically as I ran further and saw a dark, ominous figure in front of him. "Inuyasha!" I called.

"Kagome, stay away!" He warned without turning around. Sango ran up to me, keeping me back.

_My heart is racing, but I feel so out of it. This isn't good. _I blinked several times to try and clear my dulled vision. Tears fell. But even after they did, it was still foggy. It wasn't my eyes, it was my head. I panicked_. I know what's going to happen, don't I? _

I studied the scene in front of me. Kerberos stood motionless, his head cocked towards me. His dark form was in complete contrast with the bright sun that lit up everything around us. Inuyasha was crouched defensively not very far in front of him, his Tessaiga drawn. He didn't have his robe with him, no armor. Miroku had fallen back and was not far from where Sango stood in front of me. Sango was saying something to me, but I couldn't understand. All I was focusing on was Inuyasha and how dangerously close he was to Kerberos.

Kerberos continued to stare at me. I held my breath. Suddenly, Inuyasha stepped into his line of sight, breaking his focus. "Don't look at her, look at me!" Inuyasha snarled. "Who the hell are you?" No answer. "Answer me!" Inuyasha yelled.

Kerberos laughed bitterly. "Inuyasha," He spoke his name slowly. It slithered out like a poisonous snake. "I have no interest in answering your questions. I have come for a different purpose."

Sango's eyes flickered to me. Inuyasha glared at him for a moment then yelled over his shoulder, "Sango, get Kagome out of here." I couldn't move. Sango tried to lead me away. "No!" I cried. I jerked my arms away and tried to move closer to Inuyasha. Kerberos leaned forward slightly, as if ready to snatch me. I struggled to free myself from Sango and Miroku's grip and get to Inuyasha, but they wouldn't let me. My limbs felt like jelly.

"Get her away NOW!" Inuyasha's voice was on edge, fearful. He still didn't take his eyes off Kerberos. He didn't understand who he was about to fight. I did.

Then I realized, I also knew what Kerberos wanted to do. In my dream, he said he wanted me dead. I stopped struggling. _If I let him take or…kill me, he might leave the others alone. But I can't do that to Inuyasha. If I do what Inuyasha tells me to, it might save both our lives. _

Hesitantly, I began to step backward, allowing Sango to direct me. I tried not to think about how I was slowly getting further away from Inuyasha. Rather, I thought about what I was going to do next to make sure this dream-like reality ended smoothly. It wouldn't be easy.

"I have come to kill that woman there," Kerberos pointed a long finger at me. "And no matter what weapon you may swing in my face, Inuyasha, I _will_ follow orders." He chuckled.

"SANGO…" Inuyasha warned again.

Sango pushed me back. "Kagome, now! Go!" She pleaded. I complied.

I couldn't find my voice, I was so confused. I had changed course from that of my dream, and now I wasn't sure of anything. It felt like I had just jumped off of something and was now freefalling.

Inuyasha growled and tightened his grip on Tessaiga.

"Go ahead, fight me Inuyasha. Protect your beloved. But let me discourage you from underestimating me… Things are never as they seem." Kerberos said.

I listened intently. _Things are never as they seem? _He never said that in my dream. Right now, it seemed Inuyasha was in more danger than I was. It seemed that no matter who his target was, he would kill anyone who got in his way. _If things aren't what they seem…_ Inuyasha took a few steps back, seemingly considering whether he should grab me and run or attack. _Things are never as they seem… _Kerberos stayed where he was. _Never… _I suddenly realized what must have happened to me at the end of this dream, I didn't just wake up like I thought, I _died_.

As if holding some invisible object, Kerberos lifted his hand and curled his bony fingers around air. I stared back at him, numb from fear.

He spoke once more. "Well, Inuyasha," he said. "I certainly hope you have more than one thing to live for."

The movements following that all blended together, yet, it was all so vivid. Inuyasha lifted his sword. Sango spun around to face Kerberos and said Miroku's name nervously. He stepped in front of her, pushing her behind him. Kerberos outstretched the hand that held the invisible object towards me. A frenzy of whispers rang in my head. Kerberos glared at me for only a moment with these minty green eyes that burnt through me. Just as Inuyasha was about to swing his sword, Kerberos clutched his fingers into a tight fist. It was like a shockwave expanded from him and into my body. I felt my heart sputter. My eyes rolled and fluttered closed. Before I could even gasp for air, my lungs closed and I fell.


	30. You might as well have killed me too

…_I felt my heart sputter. My eyes rolled and fluttered closed. Before I could even gasp for air, my lungs closed and I fell._

**30 - You might as well have killed me too**

_I should've realized what he was doing. I shouldn't have left Kagome alone this morning. If only I'd grabbed her and run when I had the chance. I should've attacked sooner. I should've stopped him. _All of my mistakes became apparent in that moment. I heard Sango cry Kagome's name. A cold panic crawled up my spine at the sound. I glared back at the stranger for only a moment before he evaporated into thin air, a grin still spread across his face. He hadn't even been effected by the wind-scar, it had passed right through him. When I spun around, I saw Kagome on the ground, Sango leaning over her. I quickly sheathed Tessaiga and rushed to Kagome. Sango shifted away from Kagome and glanced up at me. Her eyes were glossy and fearful and she covered her mouth firmly with her hand.

"What happened?" I shouted, stopping next to her. Sango burst into tears.

"I don't know! I-I saw him looking at her- a-and then, she just went down. I don't know…" She sobbed. Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder.

I kneeled next to Kagome. I noticed immediately what was wrong, and it was the worst revelation I had hoped to never have. There was no sound. Her heart was quiet. When I reached down to pick her up, my hands trembled. _This can't be happening. Why in the hell would he want her dead? She didn't do anything to him! No. NO!_

"Kagome. Kagome!" I yelled, slowly lifting her in my arms. "Kagome, don't - leave me please." I shook her lightly, nothing. Her skin felt like it was getting colder even as I held her. I lowered my head to her neck, anticipating it to be my imagination, that her heart would be beating strong and she had simply fainted. But I couldn't fool myself.

I cradled her in my arms, clinging to the warmth that was left. It felt like my heart was getting twisted into a knot. I took her limp hand in mine and clasped it tightly. _She can't be dead, she can't be. _

Just then, I heard someone approaching behind me. The shuffled footsteps indicated it might have been Kaede, but I didn't care. Instinctively, I growled as a warning. Miroku hurried forward and told them to back off. He was then suddenly at my side.

"Inuyasha, we should take her inside-" he reached his hand out.

"Don't touch her." I snarled.

"Inuyasha-" he flinched back cautiously.

"I said don't touch her!" Tears fell on their own. The most sickening anger began to boil in the pit of my stomach. I could feel I was going to lose it. Nothing mattered. If I couldn't even protect the one person that mattered most to me, I might as well be dead too.

I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't keep my promises. I couldn't remember the last time I said I loved her.

I held onto her tighter, needing her calmness so much. I kept my body hunched over hers, my face in the crook of her neck. The warmth was almost completely gone; I could barely feel it.

"Kagome, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please come back. Come back." I whispered to her. "I need you."

Suddenly, as if activated by my words, I heard a low 'thump thump' in her chest. It seemed to echo through her body before the sound of blood swirled back into movement and Kagome gasped for air.

The relief I felt was indescribable. I wiped a tear from my cheek inconspicuously on her shoulder and leaned back to look into her eyes. She looked back at me with a half-lidded gaze, her brow furrowed slightly. I brushed some hair back from her face as her breathing relaxed to normal.

"Inuyasha?" She murmured.

"It's okay, I'm right here." I reassured gently.

She nodded once and I pulled her close again. I glanced briefly around me. Several people were starting to come out of their houses to investigate. Their sense of curiosity in this kind of situation was very aggravating. I carefully picked Kagome up and carried her inside, shielding her with my back from the stares of the onlookers. Sango and the others followed hot on my heels.

Shippo jumped up and down next to me, struggling to keep up with my stride. He asked numerous worried questions. Sango hurried along side me while Miroku rushed ahead to get something for Kagome to lay on. I wanted to block all of them out; their panic was only making me feel more anxious.

I kissed Kagome's forehead and rested my cheek lightly on the top of her head.

"I'm scared." She said against my chest.

I didn't know what to say, so I kept quiet and forgot about acting tough because honestly, I was scared too.


	31. Lost Luxury

**31 - Lost Luxury**

"Damn…" Inuyasha muttered as he lowered his forehead into his hands. He gritted his teeth in frustration and fisted his hair. The nearby fire roared like it echoed his temper. Ember sparks skipped across the floor.

It was now just after sun-down in the village. Things had quieted down since the incident, and people hid away in their houses, afraid of what the night would bring.

Sango was in her hut up the hill, encouraged by Kagome to spend time with her children. Shippo lay curled up asleep on some blankets in the corner of Kaede's hut. Kaede was reading through several thick books for information on the visitor from earlier in the day.

The remaining group didn't say anything to each other as they sat around the fire; Miroku, Inuyasha or Kagome. The problem was: Miroku felt there was an urgent need to talk about the day's occurrence, Kagome was too numb with fear to talk about anything, and Inuyasha was too ready to kill someone to think logically. Though at some point, the silence grew too unbearable.

"I do not understand his motives or actions up to this point," Miroku stated as he rubbed the back of his head to ease the tension.

"Welcome to the party," Inuyasha responded arrogantly.

Miroku ignored him, "It doesn't make any sense, he had plenty of chances up until now, and yet he did not attack her."

Inuyasha lifted his head up and glared at him, "What's your point?" He growled.

Miroku sighed, not really sure where he was going with his observations. Then, his face suddenly implied a realization. "But…" he said. "He attacked you." He looked at Inuyasha with great anticipation in his face.

Inuyasha studied him carefully, "So?"

"So, he attacked you…but when Kagome came and found you, he disappeared," Inuyasha massaged his temple and watched as Miroku stood and began pacing the floor. "That first night, Kagome, when he was following you in the forest -" Miroku held his chin, putting on the perception of a feudal era Sherlock Holmes. "He didn't attack you then either, though it is clear now he wants you dead."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to interrupt but Miroku continued diligently.

"Today, he didn't physically attack you. Reflecting now on the way he acted, it seems he was careful not to get too close to you. And when he did attack, its as if it were a manipulation of the mind." he said.

Kagome looked up at him, "What are you thinking Miroku?"

"Could it be, he's assessed your spiritual power and realized he can't physically hurt you? He'd have to find a different way, and today was the first time he found a way past your mental barrier."

Kagome gazed steadily at the fire and had a realization of her own. "I don't think it was the first time. I think he's been experimenting with getting inside my head."

"How's that?" Miroku kneeled down in front of her.

"The dreams I've been having, they've been about him. The night I woke up at the sacred tree, I went there against my will. And the last dream I had - was exactly what happened today…"

"What!" Inuyasha yelled. He was suddenly right next to her, crouched all fours. "Why didn't you tell me!"

"I didn't know what it meant okay!" She snapped back.

"Well you almost died because you were keeping secrets!"

"Alright Inuyasha that's enough." Miroku warned.

"I haven't been keeping anything from you. I told you everything except for the last dream." Kagome interjected.

"That's still keeping secrets Kagome!" He said through his teeth.

"If I knew it was actually going to happen do you really think I would have kept my mouth shut?" Kagome yelled.

"You still should've said something. With everything that's been going on, it really didn't seem relevant to you?" Inuyasha argued back.

"Why didn't you tell me what you dreamed about last night, or the night before?" She demanded.

Inuyasha furrowed his brow, "That's not-"

"Because its none of my business, that's why!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but slouched backwards and folded his arms instead.

Once Miroku saw that the argument between the two was subdued, he continued to his conclusion.

"Controlling you, manipulating your dreams, avoiding attacking you directly, it all points to one conclusion," Miroku said. "He can't touch you."

"Great job detective. Now, do you think that solves the problem?" Inuyasha scoffed, not really caring that Miroku had just made a miraculous breakthrough. "He's still a threat because he still has the ability to kill her."

"But he didn't," Miroku said pointedly. "She was able to break free from him. All we need to know is _how_ that happened and you shouldn't have to worry." Miroku turned his head to look expectantly at Kagome, who had turned her attention back to the crackling fire. When she noticed Miroku staring at her anxiously, she wearily answered his question.

"I heard Inuyasha's voice," Kagome murmured. "I don't remember anything other than that." Inuyasha's head jerked up. His gaze softened considerably when he looked at her.

"There, you see?" Miroku shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing to worry about Inuyasha. All you have to do is stay close to her and this stranger won't have the chance to-"

"I can't do that," Inuyasha muttered.

Miroku's eyes widened and he froze mid-sentence, he glanced nervously at Kagome who slowly lifted her head to look questionably back at Inuyasha.

"If he figures out he didn't kill you, he'll just find a different way, which could mean he'll start going after the people you care about. Even if he can't physically attack you, he can still hurt you. And I can't let that happen." Inuyasha said sternly, making intense eye contact with Kagome.

Miroku's jaw dropped. Kagome's questioning stare turned into an angry glare.

"It's your theory Miroku- own it," Inuyasha chided. "If he figures out he can't win one way, he'll just keep trying and changing tactics. I have to stop him."

"Now hold on just one minute. I didn't imply that you should go after him!" Miroku jumped to his feet.

Inuyasha ignored him and tried to gage Kagome's reaction. She glared back at him severely. He could just hear her thinking : _don't even think about it_. Problem was, he had already made up his mind.

* * *

Kagome insisted we continue 'this discussion' elsewhere. I could tell just by the way she prolonged the deep eye contact, I was in for it _big time_.

So we headed home. Kagome refused to let me carry her, which meant a painfully long walk where all I got was the cold shoulder. When we finally stepped through the front door, I tried to hug her but she kept walking away from me. I would have preferred a bunch of hitting or yelling to just plain being ignored.

I walked into the bedroom and picked up the robe of the fire rat I had so stupidly left on the bed that morning. Kagome walked into the room behind me. I looked over to where she stood in the doorway, the moonlight shining through the window to illuminate her beautiful skin. I took in the sight that she was, grateful that somehow my voice had reached her when I needed it to most.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?" I asked rhetorically, fingering the rough texture of my robe.

She cocked her head slightly to the side, her angry expression fading. Stepping smoothly towards me, she moved like milk pouring across the floor. I turned my body towards her, not really sure what to expect. When she stopped right in front of me, I realized I was not going to get a beating, just crocodile tears and a bunch of other crap to make me feel like a monster for leaving her.

She placed her delicate hands on my chest, sliding them down slowly until she wrapped them around my waist and snuggled close. I heard her sniff several times and imagined I would have a tear-soaked shirt by the end of the night.

I wrapped the robe I held over her shoulders and hugged her close. She sank willingly into my embrace. I could have held her there forever, but that was just another luxury I could no longer afford.


	32. Seven days

**32 - Seven days**

It was just beginning to get light outside as the small group of friends left the village. The mood was fairly bleak as the four of them walked in silence. Inuyasha and Kagome held hands, he squeezed hers tightly to try and calm her trembling.

He was leaving to try and track down the new enemy, and no one was happy about it. Though the reasoning made sense; it was safer than risking that Kerberos would return and find Kagome to be alive. Or at least, it was safer for everyone excluding Inuyasha.

They stopped where the rice fields met the expanse of wild grass, which marked the border of the village. The dirt road wound out north, around the hills and into the trees.

Miroku and Sango gave the couple some space to say goodbyes and pretended not to hear their exchange of words.

Inuyasha took both of Kagome's hands in his and ducked his head down to try and get her to look at him. She averted her gaze, trying to hold back tears.

"I'll come back after seven days if I don't find anything at first okay?" he said softly. He thought a promise might make her feel a little more assured.

A single tear bubbled up in her eye but didn't flow over. It paused to rest on her bottom eyelid and refused to dry. Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his thumbs over her hands gently. His heart ached. He needed to leave before he changed his mind.

"Seven days. I promise."

He leaned forward and cupped the back of her neck softly to place a tender kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes and tried to capture the sensation in her mind. The single hesitant tear rolled down her face. Then, his warm touch faded and he was gone.


	33. Alone

**33 - Alone**

The air was drenched in a thick fog that morning when I looked outside. It muted everything, the birds, the sun. It reminded me of being sleepy.

It had already been ten days now, since Inuyasha left. He said he wouldn't be gone any more than seven, if he didn't find Kerberos, he'd come back for a few days. That was his promise to me. So, he was a liar. Everyone around here was trying not to acknowledge the fact he was late coming home, as if I hadn't noticed. I just hoped he was okay and came back soon.

I got dressed, moving as slow as possible as to spend more time. I was laying on my back flat on the floor, when Sango walked in.

"There yah are," She greeted, looking down at me inquisitively. "Can I assume _this_ is what you will be doing for the rest of the day?"

I smirked. "Maybe."

She sighed. "Well I was going to ask you to come have coffee with me, but seeming as you're busy…"

"No, I'll have coffee." I sighed.

"Alright, meet you at my place." She turned and walked back out.

"Is this morning or afternoon coffee? Sango?" I yelled after her. She didn't hear me.

I groaned and rolled over on the floor. "I hope it's afternoon." I mumbled.

I reluctantly got up and went towards the bathroom. Kaede was already out of the house. I felt kind of lousy moping around like this, while everyone else was going about their normal activities. My own behavior made me want to punch something.

I roughly combed my hair out with my fingers and slipped on my shoes.

"Ok, weather," I sighed angrily as I stepped outside. "You're annoying me."

I rubbed my hands together to keep them warm, hot coffee was starting to sound better and better.

As I came around the corner, I saw a man talking with Sango and the others. It didn't seem Sango had made it back to the house yet. I saw Miroku and Kaede. I couldn't see what they were doing because of the fog, it was so thick it felt like there was something wrong with my eyes.

I came closer and regarded the short man I had never seen before. Something about him I didn't like, but I brushed it off.

Sango noticed me and came running up.

"Kagome," tears brimmed her eyes. She tried to turn me around to walk the other way.

"Sango, what's wrong-" I craned my neck around back to the group. I looked from Miroku to Kaede to the short man. They all stood there sharing the same expression of guilt. That's when I saw a red piece of fabric in the man's arms. My stomach plummeted.

"Why does he have that!" I screamed. "That's Inuyasha's!" I pushed past Sango and marched up to the man. Kaede intercepted me. "Kagome," she said wearily.

"Who are you!" I pointed and yelled at the man.

"My sympathies me lady." He bowed and handed the robe of the fire rat to Miroku, who took it carefully.

I watched the stranger walk away, tears pooled in my eyes. "He- he's not…"

I spun around and faced Sango. "What is he talking about?" I cried.

Sango walked up to me. "Kagome, I don't know how to say…" She reached for my hand. I sucked a deep breath and shook my head. She looked sadly back at me. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"No…NO! Where is he?" I screamed, backing away from them. Miroku caught me firmly by the shoulders.

"Sango, perhaps we should do this differently-" He said quietly. Sango wrapped her arms around herself uncomfortably, tears streamed down her face.

"Kaede. Kaede, please. Tell me it's not…please." I begged.

Kaede closed her eyes and placed a gentle hand on mine. She then affirmed what I feared most. It felt strangely surreal. Shock numbed my entire body, I had never felt so scared. I should've been with him. I could have helped him if only I knew what I did now.

…_He's dead._


	34. Predator or Prey?

**34 - Predator or Prey?**

A few days before...

I realized it was going on eight days now since I left, meaning I had already broke my promise to Kagome. I had followed hints from the locals all the way out to the northern point of the main island, where I found nothing but a bunch of choppy water. I was heading back south when a short guy wandering around in the middle of nowhere told me there had been an 'ominous disturbance' in Yamagata.

I was beginning to think it was impossible to find this slippery bastard. I knew I would be able to tell when he was around because of his suffocating aura, but he didn't show up anywhere. When the Yamagata thing turned out to be a joke, I decided to get some sleep a little ways outside the town before I would head back the next day.

I took off my robe of the fire rat and sprawled out on a grassy hill below the stars. Not moving around constantly finally gave my guilt the opportunity to catch up with me. Kagome was probably having a fit right now, not getting any sleep, wondering how I broke my promise, and how she was going to 'sit' me all the way to hell when I got back tomorrow. The thought made me smile for some reason.

At least she was safe. As much as I hated being away from her, it was for the best. By going to find this guy before he were to find out she's alive, I lower the chances of her getting hurt. He will think I'm coming after him to avenge her death, and won't be able to catch on before I backlash-wave his ass to the moon.

Then, just maybe then, I can get some damn peace and quiet. I mean, I wasn't asking for a perfect, violence-free life-style or world peace or anything. I just wanted to go a few months without there being some calamity I had to fix. Of course I wanted Kagome to be happy and comfortable too. How can she enjoy her house or friends if she's scared for her life all the time? I didn't want her to be afraid anymore.

I couldn't help imagining, once Kagome and I finally had the chance to talk things over, will we…commit? Should I ask her to marry me? Or is it too soon? She was only 19, and I realized it was probably more nerve-racking for her than it was for Sango. Hell, Kagome freaks out when I kiss her for God-sakes. But I wasn't getting any younger. As far as I was concerned, those fifty years I spent bound to a tree were still years. That made me over 70 years old! Any logical person would tell me to get a move on.

Maybe when I got home, I would explain the math to Kagome.

Suddenly, something in the air changed. It came out of nowhere, and the smell of death hit me like a wall of bricks. That was it! The suppressing aura! And it was close, getting closer and _fast_. I jumped to my feet, barely having enough time to draw my Tessaiga before the source of the demonic energy was right over me.

"Hello Inuyasha…" A voice hissed from the dark sky above me. "_Looking for__ me_?"


	35. The worst kind of pain

* note: [ ] means flashback in this chapter.

**35 - The worst kind of pain**

[ _What else do you love about me?…Kagome, it's going to be okay…I missed you so much…Idiot, what have you been up to?…You're not a burden…Do you have any idea how scared I was?…I love you, Kagome. Kagome… ]_

She stood in the doorway to their bedroom, gazing blankly at the messy unfolded blankets on the floor. His voice echoed in her head as she stood in the room that smelled just like him, in the house built by him.

[ Miroku told her what the man had said about Inuyasha's death. Inuyasha found the demon named Kerberos terrorizing a village, and stood to defend it, though he left his robe behind in the chaos. The battle was brutal. Kerberos eventually got past Inuyasha's defense and released a display of outrageous power. According to the man from the village, Inuyasha didn't stand a chance, and the only thing recoverable was the robe he didn't wear.

_Protecting others, sounds like something he'd do. _Kagome thought. Then, she spent several days in bed, rejecting any of her friends pleas to talk about it. She didn't remember ever feeling so empty. ]

Kagome slowly turned and walked out of the room, swaying slightly as she felt a spell of lightheadedness.

As she stepped into the kitchen, her foot caught in the hem of her pants, sending her forward. She instinctively reached out and caught the edge of the table. It shifted slightly under her weight and a container of utensils wobbled and fell. Kagome hit the floor, having barely slowed her fall. She collapsed to the ground with a thud, the utensils clattered to the floor in front of her. Her muscles tensed at the sound of various metal objects scraping against the floor.

After she lay there on the floor for a few minutes, barely having the motivation to move, she carefully eased herself up and searched briefly for injuries. She leaned back and sat with her knees bent on either side of her, her tired gaze swept along the floor. That's when she saw the knife.

Among the forks and spoons scattered on the floor, there was a large cutting knife. Its blade was smooth and obviously very sharp, most likely used for cutting into meat or chopping raw vegetables. Without really realizing what she was doing, Kagome leaned forward and picked up the knife. She cringed at the scraping sound the metal edge made as it skid briefly on the floor.

She turned the dagger over in her hands. Light reflected off it's silver blade. Moments passed and she continued to examine it, suddenly infatuated with the object.

She leaned back and sat cross-legged on the floor, allowing her mind to wander as she fingered the knife again. She touched her index finger to the tip, withdrawing at the slight pricking feeling. Extending her arm out, she gazed at the length the blade gave her arm.

She remembered the way Inuyasha used to goof around with his Tessaiga when he was first learning. She remembered the first time he protected her…the first time he…kissed her.

She raised the blade in the air, it's weight suddenly feeling more bothersome. She grasped the handle with both hands, the blade pointed down and angled slightly towards her. A swoop of the arm would plunge the blade into her chest.

_Kerberos will think Inuyasha went after him for revenge for my death. He won't come back to check if I'm alive. I'll live out my life unbothered, but without Inuyasha. I can't._

Her body automatically braced itself. A strange feeling of despair filled her that she had never experienced before. Plus, adrenaline, and her pulse in her ear. She felt nausea build in her stomach in fear of what she was about to streamed down her face and the knife trembled in her hand.

_I'm so weak! I want to be with him! Do it! DO IT! _Her arm didn't obey. It went against everything she was, everything she lived for.

She looked up at the tip of the dagger, its sharp tip shook with her trembling hand.

If she did, Sango or someone else would have to find her there, bled out and cold. If she didn't, she'd have to endure her aching heart and wait a lifetime to be with her beloved again. The trembling weapon in her hands was not a friend or enemy. It was a curse and an escape.

Suddenly, she began imagining how Inuyasha must have died. She imagined a hole ripped through his chest, blood pooling out around him, his amber eyes fading to a dull gray. Violent sobs racked her body as she tried to clear the bloody thoughts from her mind.

Inuyasha was never coming home. It was her fault. The guilt was heavier than the dagger.

Her head began to spin with all turmoil raging in her head. Arms were like lead, urging the knife down while her conscience screamed '_NO_!' Her heart beat frantically, pumping blood faster and faster, raising the heat.

Hesitation had made her reconsider, she was quickly losing her resolve. At the same time, she knew she would struggle to get out of bed every morning for the rest of her life. Eventually she would be able to smile, and laugh, and talk with friends and people of the village. She could put on an image of a strong woman who moved on, but every night she would sleep alone. And that, she feared more than death.

The last thing she saw was the gleam of the blade.


	36. Victory awry?

"_Hello Inuyasha…" A voice hissed from the dark sky above me. "Looking for me?"_

**36 - Victory awry?**

…continued…

"There you are…" I said as I stood and drew Tessaiga.

"Talk around town is you've been searching for me Inuyasha…is there something you _need_?" He grinned.

"You can start by telling me who you are. You neglected to tell me before, and attacked Kagome instead!" I growled viciously.

"Oh yes, how is she by the way?" He smirked evilly.

"Shut up! Answer my question!"

"What?" He pretended to be astounded. "You mean your little girlfriend didn't tell you? I told her everything you need to know...conveniently in a dream." He pointed to his temple with one of his long fingers.

"Bastard. Quit playing games!" I snarled.

He chuckled, "Fine. I shall repeat myself. I am Kerberos. Demon of the pit, and servant to the most powerful lord." he added a theatrical bow. "Take a good look Inuyasha, for this is the last face you will ever see."

I growled and tightened my grip on Tessaiga. I was suddenly aware of how unsure I was about _how_ to fight him.

"Lets see how you fair without your beloved to heal you." Kerberos grinned. He then lunged forward, his fingertips extended toward me like sharp talons.

I dodged him at the last second, realizing I didn't have time to use Tessaiga. Before I even fully turned to face him, he was coming right at me again. I raised Tessaiga and his fist collided with my blade. He rebounded off it and shot up in the air. I swung Tessaiga down as fast as I could.

"BACKLASH-WAVE!" I yelled as the wall of destructive energy shot out from Tessaiga. Impatiently, I waited for the debris to clear. I heard him laughing before I saw him.

"Interesting…" Kerberos sneered. He was hovering just inches from where the earth was gouged out, somehow having dodged my attack. "Now, let me show _you_ something."

He raised his arm and held onto air as if clutching an object.

"Fo̱tiá kólasi̱," He muttered in an unrecognizable language. Then, out of nowhere, a long staff with a blade at the end manifested itself. Kerberos clutched its handle and bounded forward, closing the several yards between us in less than a second. The weapon he held barely grazed my shoulder as he thrust it toward me. I jumped to the side, out from under him. He followed instantly. I swung Tessaiga, trying the Wind-scar this time. Kerberos unexpectedly vanished and the Wind-scar tore up the earth where he used to be.

While steadying my stance, I tried to take a deep breath, but got cut short as he appeared right next to me. I felt his fist connect with my head, it was like it happened in slow motion. Then my body hurled sideways at excessive speed. I slammed into the face of a rock ledge, causing it to shatter behind me.

Slumping down onto the ground, I tried to gain sight of him. He was nowhere in view. I got to my feet. There was suddenly a hand around my throat and I was flying through the air; thrown like a rag doll with a mere flick of his wrist.

I spun in mid-air and determined which way was down. I plunged into the trees where his attacks would be limited in visibility. Plus, it was easy to tell when he was behind me.

It wasn't long before he was right on my tail. Trees started collapsing all over the place as Kerberos delivered attack after attack. I sheathed Tessaiga and focused on getting out of the way.

I broke free into a field and drew Tessaiga again, raising it up to swing. Kerberos darted out of the tops of the trees and chucked his blade at me. He just… threw it, and it was speeding towards me with deadly accuracy. Avoiding it by an inch or two, I scrambled backward and tried not to freak out as the ground lifted up like a wave around where the blade had landed. There was a loud crack and the land rose up, split, and crumbled in.

"Damn-" I dashed to the side, attempting to keep a range on Kerberos. That's when he swooped around behind me and came at me with his bare hands. I blocked the first two stabs, but the third one hit me in the right shoulder and sent me flying backwards.

I skidded to a stop and hit the ground. My shoulder felt like it was on fire. It was the same attack from before. I gripped Tessaiga and used it to lift myself up with my good arm. Looking back across the field, I saw that Kerberos hadn't moved. He stood examining his arm, the one that he used to jab me. Confusion was evident in his expression.

I suddenly sensed the purification aura radiating in the air. It was Kagome's power. I was afraid at first, but then I realized she wasn't here, just her aura. _It must still be working from the first time she healed me. And now it's going to keep Kerberos from being able to run me through, _I thought.

I took advantage of the moment and stood up to shake off the pain in my shoulder. Kerberos didn't even seem to notice. He looked really angry. I leaned into a fighting stance and readied Tessaiga.

"Whatsa matter? Is there a _problem_?" I shouted.

"Don't get cocky," he spat. He reached his arm out and produced another blade from thin air. "I don't have to _touch_ you to _kill_ you."

He was talking big, but I could tell his energy was depleted. Kagome's aura definitely affected him, and it was affecting me too. I couldn't feel the extreme burning in my shoulder anymore, which meant I could keep fighting just as if I was never hit.

I glared back at Kerberos, ready to stand my ground. He lifted the blade and then lurched his arm forward. The blade hurdled from his grip.

I didn't know what was going to happen, I wasn't even sure if Tessaiga could protect me from it. Without my robe too, I was pretty vulnerable. But knowing that Kagome was technically with me gave me the strength I needed.

Just as I was about to engage the speeding blade, the weirdest thing happened. Instead of hitting me, it collided with a wall that suddenly surrounded me. It was like a barrier or shield. I could feel Kagome's calming aura everywhere. Then, the weapon he threw literally disintegrated. It was just _gone_.

I stood there, dumbfounded for a second, then played it off cool like I meant for it to happen. I resisted the urge to make some snappy comeback because I didn't even do anything. Kagome's aura was protecting me...somehow.

Kerberos's jaw dropped slightly. Seemed he was out of ideas.

"Heh, well if that's all you got…" I raised Tessaiga. It glowed ominous black, indicating the Zangetsuha's presence. "Take a good look," I smirked. "_This_ is the last face _you'll _ever see… ZANGETSUHA!"

A single black blade jutted out and sliced the sky. Kerberos darted toward me, completely disregarding the attack.

"Insolent half-breed-" His arm shot forward and plunged into my gut and out again. I couldn't let it happen, not again, not without a whole lot of payback. I swiveled on my heel, turning my body so I was facing his back. My eyes followed his movement, even at the incomparable speed. I felt my demonic aura spike in the moment before the kill, when I was truly craving revenge. _This is for Kagome you slimy bastard!_ I thought was I swung Tessaiga one last time, sending a second black blade right at him. In an instant, he was swallowed up and the portal collapsed in on itself.

My knees gave out on me and I fell to the ground, breathing heavily. I lay completely still as the burning pain was replaced with Kagome's numbing purification.

_She saved me once again. And I saved her right back._

After I gave myself a brief rest, I trudged back to where I left my robe of the fire rat, but it wasn't there. I clenched my fists. _How the hell… _Kerberos didn't have it with him, I was sure of that. Besides, why would he, or anyone, take it. I collapsed down on the grass.

_Whatever, I'll deal with it later, _I thought. I would get some sleep and head back to the village after my wounds healed. I couldn't return in the shape I was in anyway…Kagome would _kill_ me.

In any case, that Kerberos bastard was taken care of. He was right where he belonged: hell.


	37. Dead man walking

**37 - Dead man walking**

It was a spring day like any other. The scent of cherry blossoms floated on the soft breeze, humming birds flitted about, a thin layer of spring rain clouds dimmed the sunlight. But on this particular day, the sight of a man walking into the village had the locals in a state of shock.

Rice-field workers stopped and stared, basket weavers peeked out their windows, the entire town froze as if they'd seen a ghost. Children playing around the puddles in the street gaped when they saw him as people poured out of their houses and formed a small crowd.

The breeze fell still.

**In one of the huts…**

A group of women sat around a table in the center of Kaede's hut. Among them, were elders from the village, the priestess Kaede, Sango, and a few others who were merely seeking company.

"Well, I suppose there's always the 'wait and see' option," Sango voiced disappointedly. "Though I hardly think it will keep us sane."

"Boring…" The rather testy elder called Atsuko said. Sango rolled her eyes and continued.

"Maybe we should consider what elder Sonoe suggests. Send someone to the site to investigate whether the demon was destroyed-"

"Sonoe's got 'er head on loose. That kind of trip would take weeks!" Atsuko snapped.

"Hush, Atsuko." Kaede scolded from across the table.

Sango irritably finished her thought. "Who's to say this demon won't return? We can find out if we call for reinforcements from other villages and investigate more thoroughly."

"Who died and put you in charge…" Atsuko chimed under her breath. There was a brief silence.

"Look! I'm trying to think past the surface alright! We don't want that guy coming back here! If we're not careful, we're going to be caught off guard again. Without any demons on our side, we've got a disadvantage. I just don't want anyone else to get hurt…you know Kagome wouldn't!" Sango yelled, banging her fist firmly on the table.

There was a long pause, the group of women looked blankly at the people across from them. A melancholy mood took over the room.

Suddenly, elder Atsuko slammed her hand against the table and stood up. "That's _Lady_ Kagome to you!" She yelled in a crackly voice. Her outburst progressed into a rant on the retired demon-slayer. The two quickly got into a heated argument.

Several of the elders tried to disperse the pair while the others stayed seated, mentally ignoring the skirmish.

"Quit with the act you stubborn hag! Why do you always have to make a fight out of everything? I'm her best friend!" Sango shouted.

"Show some respect! _Some_ of us are still in mourning!" Atsuko spit. "Crazy cat lady!" Kirara suddenly appeared on Sango's shoulder and meowed sadly.

Sango opened her mouth to protest when something distracted her.

"My lady I-" A woman from the village had rushed into the hut. She leaned against the door frame, out of breath. The surrounding arguments ceased at the sudden interruption. The woman addressed someone who had just entered the main room; drawn by the sound of commotion. Gentle hands cradled a tea cup as she stepped towards the woman. Pool-like deep brown eyes searched for an explanation on the woman's panicked face.

"Lady Kagome-" the woman began again. "I wish not to startle you but- Lord Inuyasha has returned!"

The tea cup shattered upon the floor.

* * *

Inuyasha looked confusedly at the villagers surrounding him. _What the hell's with these people? _He thought, feeling like the main act in a circus show. He quickly turned around when he felt someone poking him. It was one of Sango's twins.

"Hey," Inuyasha crouched down to his height. "Where's your dad at?"

The child smiled and pointed past him. Inuyasha turned and stood up to see Miroku quickly dispersing the villagers.

"Go on now- nothing to see here- go home," he hurried forward and yelled exasperatedly at the crowd. "Go _home_!" He threw his hands up and ordered at a group that was reluctant to leave. Surprised by the monk's outburst, they quickly scurried away.

"Inuyasha-" he approached him, his expression baffled. "You're-"

"Miroku, what's going on?" Inuyasha asked sternly, a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He glanced around briefly. "Where's Kagome?"

"Inuyasha- You have to understand. Something happened-" Miroku spoke with an edge to his voice.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Where is she!" He frantically pushed past Miroku.

"Inuyasha wait. Wait! She's alright, but you have to listen to me!" Miroku grabbed onto his shirt and tried to tug him backwards, though Inuyasha was intent on going forward. He dragged Miroku along behind him.

Inuyasha could barely make out Kagome's scent and it was driving him nuts. All he could smell was old people and a twinge of Kagome. To make matters worse, the monk's strange behavior was grinding on his last nerve.

"Wait!" Miroku begged again.

"Let go!" Inuyasha ordered and pried his arm out of Miroku's grip. Miroku sprang at him as he began to walk away; Inuyasha once again tried to shake him. The villagers watched from their houses like the argument was the most entertainment they'd gotten in a long while.

Inuyasha pushed back on Miroku's face. "What the hell is wrong with you!" He demanded.

"She thinks you're dead!" Miroku shouted.

The words seemed to split the air. Inuyasha froze in his tracks and looked up to Kaede's porch just as Kagome stepped outside. Her eyes locked immediately with his. Her expression was somewhat horrified as well as apprehensive, as if him standing there before her wasn't adequate proof. Sango rushed out behind her followed by the group of elder women. They came to halt right behind Kagome. No one moved; all watched the intense scene taking place. The elders studied Kagome then Inuyasha with wide eyes. Sango stood frozen next to Kagome. At loss for what to do, she looked to her just as bewildered husband.

"Inu…Yasha?" Kagome murmured. Everyone could tell what was about to happen. Kagome swayed to the side and her eyes closed, a soft sigh escaped her lips.

The women lunged forward, squealing as they all tried to grab her at once. Sango caught her arm before she hit the ground and lowered her down easy. Inuyasha was already up the steps. He kneeled at Kagome's side and regarded how frail she looked, how worn. Even after he realized she had simply fainted, the thought didn't comfort him as much as he would have hoped.

Words failed to form questions in Sango's head. She looked incredulously at Inuyasha. After a moment, he met her disbelieving gaze and knew something was very wrong.

"Sango," he said. "_What_ is going on?"


	38. Reunion

**38 - Reunion : **

Kagome didn't remember the last time her dreams had been so erethral. Colors twisted and merged, images filtered in. It was like watching her life through a grand kaleidoscope. Then, there was nothing but her memory of Inuyasha.

Seeing him, it was like freefalling all over again. It felt like when she realized she loved him, or whenever she saw him with Kikyo. The same plummeting feeling of when she was trapped within the sacred jewel, and when he held her in his arms after three long years. When she _saw_ him, it was like the world stopped spinning, and everything just fell flat; exposing the truth. The moment so pure, too real to believe, and too much for her to handle in her exhaustion.

She wished her body hadn't failed her and she could have stayed conscious long enough to confirm what her eyes had told her: that he was _alive_.

Her heart beat wildly and it gradually brought her out of her dream state. She slowly opened her eyes, a bright light shown in her face. She could hear people talking quietly. One of the voices stood out, her pulse was racing. She opened her eyes wider and tried to look around, sun was shining through a window and limited her vision. The voices suddenly ceased and the light was blocked by a figure.

"Kagome?" A gentle voiced asked.

Her vision focused and she saw, to her complete amazement, Inuyasha kneeling beside her. Without even thinking, she sat up and clung to him, gasping in shock as tears burst from her eyes.

"You're alive!" She repeated over and over as she nestled into his shoulder.

"Kagome, hey- its alright." He tried to ease her away to see her face, but she wouldn't let go. He wrapped his arms around her and held her securely as she sobbed quietly. Then he looked over Kagome to Miroku and Sango.

"Ok, I want to know everything. What happened that made you guys think I was dead?" He directed at them, anger was evident in his tone.

"Well you were gone for a long time, but we were also told about the fight…" Sango answered.

"What did you hear?" Inuyasha asked, confused as to who could have told them about his battle with Kerberos.

"A man from the village where it happened came to bring us your robe. He said he talked to you before this demon Kerberos showed up. And when he did arrive, you fought him until he won…and you…well," Miroku didn't need to finish the last part.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "_Who_ told you this?"

"The man… he didn't give a name."

"Ok, where was this village where he said I fought Kerberos?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome slowly released her grip on Inuyasha and sat up next to him, not taking her eyes off him as if he could disappear in the blink of an eye. Inuyasha noticed her gazing at him and grasped her hand tightly. The longing look he gave her reassured there would be time soon for them to talk privately.

"Uhh- on the north island, Hokkaido." Miroku said.

"Wrong. I fought Kerberos just south of Yamagata and there was no village around." Inuyasha corrected.

"But-"

"How much do you wanna bet this _village_ location he gave you is some ghost town out in the middle of nowhere that only _looks_ like a battle went down?" Inuyasha flung his other hand up, gesturing to some far off place.

"What are you thinking?" Miroku asked suspiciously.

"Well, who exactly was this guy? Was he- I don't know - _sane_ looking?"

"I would say so, yes," Miroku replied matter-of-factly. "Just a little on the short side."

"How short?"

"Mmm…short."

"Okay, cause a short guy told me there was a something going on in Yamagata."

"There are lots of short men in Japan my friend." Miroku reminded.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but when I got there, nothing had happened. The town was untouched. Then Kerberos showed up right after I got there and attacked me."

"That's suspicious." Miroku admitted.

"And I never told any short guy where I lived, just that I was looking for a demon. That's it. We barely spoke for two minutes."

"Then how would he know where to bring the robe? And why would he tell us you were dead if he didn't even see the fight?" Miroku asked, suddenly feeling completely confused and aggravated.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Now that I think of it, something was off about that guy…" There was a brief pause and unsure glances were exchanged.

"He was cold as ice." Miroku interjected. The group turned and looked at him confoundedly. "When he handed me your robe, it was like he tried not to touch me, but he did anyway… and he was ice cold. I thought it must have just been from the long walk outside, but maybe…"

"Maybe there's too many goddamn coincidences for it to mean anything else." Inuyasha finished.

"A puppet?" Miroku offered.

"Makes sense, how else would Kerberos be able to convince you guys I was dead? He needed someone to set up the story."

Miroku sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry everyone, I should've verified the information sooner."

"No Miroku, tis not ye fault. The details made sense 'til…" Kaede laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Until we figured out we were getting played for fools," Miroku interrupted. "So Inuyasha, you fought this demon Kerberos, I take it you won?"

"Keh, yeah. I'm the one who caught _him_ off guard, not the other way around-"

Kagome furrowed her brow and glanced up an Inuyasha.

"Wait a minute," Sango said. "So what would Kerberos gain by making us think you were dead then? Nothing came of it." Kagome's face went suddenly pale. Her stomach plunged slightly as the last pieces began to fit in her mind.

"Well, he must have realized Kagome was alive." Miroku continued.

"Yeah, but what's the _motive_?" Sango argued.

"Good question. Kagome? Do you have any theories? You've been rather quiet." Miroku directed at Kagome.

Kagome didn't say anything at first, she raised her head and gave her attention to the group. They looked worriedly back at her. She had a theory, but it was a theory she was too ashamed of to explain, even to her closest friends.

"No. I can't imagine…" she murmured.

Inuyasha studied her carefully. Something about her reaction seemed suspicious to him. He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." She forced a timid smile while in her mind, she was remembering that moment from only a day before. The glistening blade, her quick breathing, how close she came to bringing death upon herself before she passed out on the floor. Her body shut down on her from heavy exhaustion and excessive emotional stress. She remembered waking up to the same knife laying just inches from her and not being able to pick it up again. Though she was sure, Kerberos had planned for her to finish what she started.

Inuyasha's ears perked up as he noticed Kagome getting watery-eyed.

"Ok- we're gonna figure this out more in the morning alright? It's all assumptions at this point anyway." He lifted Kagome's chin up to see her face. "Hey, I'm gonna take you home now." He murmured softly. Kagome nodded weakly.

Inuyasha stood and helped Kagome to her feet, wrapping his arm around her again to hold her steady. Sango got a worried look on her face and stood up also.

"Hold on a sec!" She blurted and pursued Inuyasha out onto the porch. Miroku trudged out behind her, wishing his wife would let it go for the night.

"Miroku, take Kagome for just a minute." Sango gently pulled Kagome away and guided her to Miroku. He reluctantly took Kagome's hand and looked warningly back at his wife.

"Sango…what in the hell-" Inuyasha said impatiently.

"I just need to tell you something," she said.

"Keh, sure you do. It can wait." He scoffed and tried to go around her. Sango pulled him backward.

"Just-"  
"No."  
"Wait-"  
"I don't-"

They struggled for a few moments, whispering harshly at each other until Sango grabbed him by the forelocks.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Shush!" she snapped. Inuyasha pursed his lips and let a long breath out his nose.

"She is very fragile!" she whispered almost inaudibly. Inuyasha's ears twitched to pick up the sound. "You didn't see her. She was devastated, and this whole situation has to have her confused. Just- be nice to her okay? Make sure she gets some sleep too."

"Alright, alright. Jeez, what are you my mom?" He swiveled around her and took Kagome out of Miroku's custody. He led her away toward the trail to the river.

Once they were out of sight of the house, Inuyasha paused to scoop Kagome up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. They didn't say anything to each other all the way home. Inuyasha didn't run, unsure if Kagome would even be able to handle it.

When they got to the house, Inuyasha eased up the front steps and carefully set her down inside the living room. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm in the chilled room while Inuyasha closed the door behind them.

Kagome's gaze swept over him briefly. She was awed when he lifted his gleaming amber eyes to lock with hers. They hadn't lost their mystifying spark.

"Look, Kagome, I'm sorry about all that. This is all just really confusing…"

"It's okay."

"But-"

"Really, forget it."

She turned and wandered into their bedroom and found his robe of the fire rat. With everything suddenly put into a different perspective, she wondered how he had managed to misplace it, or rather, how it had come into the puppet man's hands. Apparently, most of what she had been believing for the last several days was completely false. Since that day when she thought she had lost him, she had slept with his robe curled around her. His scent drifted off it and it made her dream about him - them - together again.

"I'd been wondering where that went," Inuyasha chuckled as he came into the room. His smile faded when she didn't look up.

"He made it so easy to believe…" Kagome murmured.

"I'm sorry."

"I was so upset that I wasn't with you," she said louder.

Inuyasha reached out and took her hand, "You were with me Kagome. When Kerberos attacked me, your aura repelled his attacks... How'd you do that?"

Kagome stared at him for a moment. "Inuyasha, my purification spell ran off a long time before you left."

"But- hmm -well you did something. He threw a damned blade at me, and it literally evaporated before it could hit me." Inuyasha continued excitedly. "What was it, some kind of barrier?"

"Inuyasha, I don't know! I don't know what you're talking about."

Inuyasha furrowed his brow. "That's weird. I know it was your aura…"

Kagome closed her eyes, not having the patience to consider what he was saying. "Inuyasha I need to tell you something," she interrupted.

He raised an eyebrow and shifted closer to her, "Alright," he said. "What is it?"

Kagome took a deep breath, "I think I know why Kerberos would want me to think you were dead."

Inuyasha could tell by her tone, she was hiding something. He frantically tried to read her expression, but it was deadpan. He didn't like it one bit.

"Kagome," Inuyasha persuaded when she didn't continue. "Kagome, hello?" He tried to get her attention.

Kagome suddenly felt unsure. _What if he gets mad? Or thinks I'm crazy? How do I tell him?_

"Kagome! Come on, you're freaking me out here!" Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders firmly. Kagome finally felt anger surfacing. _**You're**__ freaking out? What about me! I've been losing my mind for the last three days! Driving myself mad, thinking that you were __**dead**__!_

"I couldn't stand it!" She yelled suddenly. "I couldn't stand that you died fighting him. I couldn't think straight and all I kept imagining was you dying alone somewhere!" She lashed her arms around to break out of his grasp.

"Whoa, Kagome, just tell me what you-" Inuyasha said confusedly.

"SIT!" She yelled out. Inuyasha plummeted to the floor

"You told me seven days!" She sobbed. Tears shimmered in her eyes.

Inuyasha grumbled as he pried himself up. "I know!" he admitted, still dumbfounded.

"How could you break your promise? Jerk! I'll never _ever_ forgive you!" She clenched her fists. Inuyasha looked up at her nervously. His ears drooped when he saw her hands fisted up. She was obviously trying to tell him something. Big tears rolled down her flushed cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry!" Inuyasha jumped to his feet and reached his arms out to draw her close. "Please? Tell me what's wrong."

Nestled against his warm chest, where his heart beat rhythmically in her ear, Kagome found the courage to tell him the truth. "I took a knife from the kitchen…" she sobbed. She felt Inuyasha's breath hitch momentarily, his body tensed. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. "…and I tried to use it on myself... I couldn't live with that guilt…knowing that you- I just felt so…lost, and empty."

"Stop! Don't say anymore." Inuyasha snapped.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No! Of course not!" Inuyasha shook his head. "It just makes sense now. I can't believe, that I came so close to losing you and I didn't even know it," He leaned back and looked her over carefully. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she leaned back into him.

He cradled the back of her head. "I just thought that because he couldn't touch you meant it was safe for me to leave..." _But it was all part of his plan. It was a trick to turn us against ourselves. Kagome kills herself, then I either die fighting Kerberos, or come home to find her dead and end my own life. Does this mean Kerberos is still alive? Does he know Kagome is too?_

Inuyasha's head was sent reeling from everything he was suddenly taking in. But all that mattered in that moment was the woman in his arms.

He tenderly kissed the top of her head, realizing she had to have been a thousand times more scared than he was. He couldn't imagine what he would have felt had he returned to find out she had taken her own life. But holding a knife to herself, it had to have been terrifying for her to go to that extreme.

"You're safe now," he murmured, wrapping his robe over her shoulders.

As much as she wanted to believe his gentle words, she remembered how all of the events in this confusing circle of attacks were so unpredictable. The dreams that turned out to be predictions, Inuyasha getting hurt instead of her, Kerberos attacking her indirectly, puppets and false deaths, it all only confirmed what Kerberos warned of…

_Nothing is as it seems._

* * *

Hokay now! This chapter took forever! Plus it couldn't be any longer. But maybe it will keep you distracted long enough for me to write the next chapter! Ahh! So Are you guys following this okay? i understand there's going to be some confusion, but I am really trying to convey some of the plot to you guys without monologing for half the chapter. So please tell me what you think of this one, it may help me in writing the next chapter, which I plan on making a fluffy filler chapter. :)


	39. Late night whispers & a love that burns

**39 - Late night whispers and a love that burns **

I was a wreck.

I hadn't slept in days. My wound wasn't completely healed from my fight with Kerberos. I was frustrated out of my mind about what happened while I was gone - to say that I was confused was a _drastic_ understatement. I was angry at myself for what Kagome went through. I couldn't get her to sleep. Not to mention I was freaking out about Kerberos potentially being alive somehow. And my ear kept itching for some reason…

Just less than a month ago, Kagome came back into my life and it finally seemed like things would start making sense. I wouldn't have to wander aimlessly anymore wondering what my meaning was. For those first few days I was with her, I felt like I was right where I was destined to be. But things were backwards again. Kagome was in danger, I didn't know how to protect her, I was afraid of losing her, and I didn't have the option of taking her back to her own time where she would be safer.

Kagome snuggled closer to me under the blankets, I held her tighter. The faint flowery scent of her hair eased my racing thoughts.

If only I knew why Kerberos was after her, I could fix it somehow. Maybe I would know how to fight him. But Kaede couldn't find anything about him in those ginormous books of hers, Miroku was out of ideas and so was I.

I hated to think about it, but I wasn't sure my life alone was going to be enough to protect her.

Kagome wiggled restlessly then sat upright, huffing quietly. I sighed and sat up next to her, scratching my ear again. "What is it?"

"It's hot in here," she whispered.

"It's only April." I whispered back.

"It's _hot_."

"Take some clothes off then." I laid back on the blankets and stared up at the ceiling. Kagome sat there, like she didn't know what to do with herself. I heard the fabric of her shirt slide over her arms then fly across the room and hit a wall.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she laid across my chest, her warmth seeping into me.

"Can't sleep." She was whispering again.

"So you're throwing things?"

"I'm upset."

I brought my hand up and lightly traced her spine with my finger. At first I thought she wasn't wearing anything, but then I felt the tie around her neck from an open-back undershirt. I swallowed thickly.

"Yeah…" I said distractedly. Her - ahem… her ample chest pressed against me as she made herself comfortable. "What can I do?" She didn't answer.

A random thought suddenly popped into my head. "You know what this reminds me of?" I chuckled. I needed to hear her laugh just once, then I could focus on other things. The last few hours of confusing conversations and unnerving confessions had me slowly slipping into a very bad mood. "This one time after we met Shippo, he asked me why you and I didn't bathe together…he was serious too."

She started laughing. It was quiet and pretty weak sounding, but it _was_ laughing. "Shippo said that?" she giggled. "Why does this remind you of that?"

"I don't know, just laying here with you. Who'd have thought, right?"

She giggled again. "Oh, I thought you were gonna say we should go take a bath."

"Hey, we could…" I said suggestively.

"No." she said.

"Why-?"

"No!" She laughed and seemed to relax a little bit. Content that she wasn't sulking anymore, I let my eyes close. I told myself it would be over soon, that we'd find a way to beat Kerberos, Kagome and I would get married, and we would get on with our lives. I wasn't usually the optimistic one, but seeming as optimism wasn't an abundant resource at the moment, I took the initiative.

It had to mean some higher deity liked me, to have Kagome laying in my arms like this. Even after I almost killed her numerous times, treated her like she was useless to me, after I pushed her away and then pulled her back again, she was still mine. That had to count for something, because whatever I did to deserve what I have, I can't imagine.


	40. Peace in a time of war

**#40 - Peace in a time of war**

It was just before dawn when Kagome woke up. Her eyes popped open to Inuyasha's sleeping face. She was sandwiched between his chest and the sheets. One of his arms was laying across his forehead the other wrapped securely around her back. He snored softly.

She smiled and tried to keep from giggling blissfully. His shirt was opened slightly, exposing his chiseled chest. She ran her finger down from his collar bone to his bellybutton, watching his face intently. He didn't even budge.

While she assessed that she was very much draped over him, and the chances were very unlikely that she would be able to get up without disturbing the sleeping half-demon, she realized she had to pee, very, _very_ badly.

Taking the chance, Kagome planted her hands on either side of him and pushed up, lifting her body away from his. Cautiously, she maneuvered over him like in a game of Twister. She slowly crawled between the sheets and worked at untangling her legs.

Just as she was creeping away, a hand reached out and grabbed her mid-section, pulling her backwards.

"Ahhh!" She yelped as she was pulled under the covers again.

"Why are you always sneaking off on me?" Inuyasha said seductively as he pulled her close to him. "You know you won't get away with it."

"I have to PEE!" she yelled, struggling to get out of his grasp.

"Waah," he teased before moving in for a kiss.

"I'm serious!" she cried, pushing his mouth away with her hand.

"What would you do if I tickled you right now?" he asked evilly.

She scrambled away from him, taking the sheets with her. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as she wrapped them around herself in a toga-type outfit and strutted towards the bathroom. She dropped the bundle at the door, walked inside, and slammed it behind her.

A few minutes later she came back into the room, feeling much better, and was greeted by a half naked Inuyasha standing in the middle of the room.

"Oooh!" She threw the sheet up over her face. "Sir, put some clothes on!" She teased.

Missing only his shirt, Inuyasha teased back, "No thanks, I prefer the natural look," he puffed out his chest a little.

Kagome kept the sheet covering her as she listened to him walking over. His arms wrapped around her and squeezed her in a big bear hug. The playful teasing had gotten her a silly mood, Kagome laughed and wiggled limply in his hold.

"What is wrong with you?" Inuyasha chuckled as he pulled the sheet off over her face and gazed down at her.

Her laughing fit was interrupted by a low growling coming from her stomach.

"Oops," she giggled, looking down at her tummy.

"Oops?" Inuyasha repeated. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Mmm…pie."

"Not what. When?"

"Pie." Kagome bit her lower lip and laughed.

"Okay…" Inuyasha sighed, not sure what to think of his partner's strange behavior. "Well you're hungry, so what should we do about it?"

"Eat!" she exclaimed.

Kagome moseyed into the kitchen to investigate, Inuyasha behind her. There was nothing but some bags of white rice in the cupboard.

"Well, I bet Kaede's got a whole smorgasbord goin' over at her house," Inuyasha grumbled and turned to go and change into his shirt.

"Maybe…" Kagome mumbled, then she turned and chased after him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she leapt up and flung her legs around his waist. He hollered in surprise. "What are you doing?" He held onto her legs and carried her through the house.

"I don't want to leave," Kagome pouted as she rested her chin on his shoulder

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't wannoo"

"Geez. Alright fine. But you're still gonna be hungry."

"I'll make rice!"

Inuyasha eased down on one knee and plopped her down onto the blankets, throwing one over her face. "Boring," he said and got back up.

"Don't say that! You'll hurt the rice's feelings!" She cried.

"Kagome-" he said sternly.

"Inuyasha?" she snapped in a British-sounding accent.

Inuyasha laughed and got down next to her, tickling her relentlessly. She screamed, curling into a protective ball and pleading for him to stop. By the time he was done, there was no silly left. "Okay…fine…I'm done," Kagome panted. "You're so mean."

Inuyasha smiled. "Now that you're thinking a little clearer, what are we going to do today?"

Kagome thought for a moment, then she smiled up at him and said, "_nothing_…"

Inuyasha shrugged and laid down next to her, "Fine by me."

* * *

I know I said this story was going to be M rated, and I thought this chapter and the last were going to be... well, sex scenes. But I wrote, rewrote, edited, deleted and eventually couldn't make anything else work.  
So I understand if these two chapters arn't what you thought they would be, but I've got to move onto the next chapters! I guess it could technically still be rated M, for the "Kiss me" chapter maybe and some bloody violence, but we'll just have to see.  
I've got to admit I'm not very creative or talented with writing sex scenes. Trust me, you'll be glad I spared you.  
So thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts! I won't make you wait nearly as long for the next chapter, don't worry.

- The author


	41. Awakening

**#41 - Awakening**

For the rest of the day, the couple lazed around the house in a way similar to the way two cats might lounge around in the sun. Nothing seemed worthy of a pace faster than slow motion. Inuyasha built a fire and Kagome made rice, but as far as leaving the house, they had no interest in doing so. They spent the day in bed, enjoying each others company, and exploring each other as far as Kagome allowed. Meaning, when Inuyasha tried to involve a little tongue during a kiss, Kagome called upon the power of the enchanted beads.

They were so absorbed with each other they didn't even notice the hours slipping by. It finally felt like they were getting the alone time they wanted. Inuyasha was thankful he had decided to build their house far away from the village, he could just imagine the villagers, Kaede included, bustling around complaining about Kagome being late for a sacred grass picking lesson or something. Whether they needed her or not, Inuyasha had determined that Kagome was his for the whole day, so he didn't really care.

Inuyasha rolled over on his side and inched closer to his Kagome. Her hair was sprawled out across the pillow and an inch of soft ivory skin peeked out at her belly. Inuyasha looked her over briefly. "Hey," he said.

Kagome answered, "Hey."

Twirling a strand of her dark hair around his finger, Inuyasha murmured. "Do you think if we were to get married you might finally let me go further than lip-to-lip contact?"

"Maybe if," Kagome responded softly. She blushed and bit her lower lip. Inuyasha gazed at her glistening pink lips and lowered his head down to her ever so slightly.

Just then, knocking sounded from the front door. Inuyasha paused and craned his neck to see into the living room. Whoever was at the door tried the handle then continued knocking constantly like a deranged door-to-door salesmen.

Inuyasha groaned and slowly eased up out of bed. "What the hell," he said. The knocking turned into a loud pounding.

"Go see who it is!" Kagome said, covering her ears.

Inuyasha got up and trudged to the door, taking his time on the latch as the pounding persisted. "Yeah! I hear ya!" he yelled and opened the door to an out of breath Miroku.

"Miroku. What a nice surprise." Inuyasha nodded nonchalantly.

"Haven't you felt it?" He panted.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Felt _what_?"

"The aura? It's been looming since this morning and now it's practically right over the village! How have you not noticed!-"

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he pushed past Miroku onto the porch. As his hazy mind cleared, his senses picked up the presence Miroku was talking about. The village looked quiet, but it was misleading, for a darkness was moving in from the east. And Inuyasha recognized that suppressing feeling, like sorrow and death pressing down on him with all its might. Like he could never be happy again.

"Miroku?" Kagome appeared at the door, draped in Inuyasha's robe. "What are you doing here-" she suddenly froze and glanced fearfully down the hill to the village. "Oh no…" she breathed.

Miroku looked to Inuyasha. "What should we do? I thought you said you beat him," he said sternly.

"I did."

"Then why is he coming back!-"

"I don't know!" Inuyasha spun on his heal and pushed both of them back in the house. "Kagome, go get dressed." he ordered. She retreated to the bedroom, leaving the two frazzled men in the living room.

"What made you think you won that battle Inuyasha? How could you not be sure!" Miroku whispered angrily.

Inuyasha threw his hands up. "I used Zengetsuha, why _would_ he still be alive?"

"This is insane." Miroku rubbed his forehead. "Who comes back after getting sucked into hell?" he paced back and forth across the floor a few times.

"Someone who's got friends in the underworld, that's who." Inuyasha speculated. _It's the only thing that makes sense, _Inuyasha thought. He looked back to the bedroom. _Whoever his friends are, they want Kagome gone… _Kagome emerged from the bedroom, holding Inuyasha's robe. She avoided eye contact as she gently handed it to him.

"What now?" she murmured to the floor.

******"Now we get rid of him for good." Inuyasha said as he pulled his robe on over his shoulder.**

Kagome jerked her head up and looked at him sadly. _Is that even possible? _she thought.

Miroku sighed and walked to the door. "Well, lets go then."

The three of them rushed back to the village. Kagome rested her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and racked her brain for any answer, any solution that would allow her to protect the villagers and the ones she loved. She came up with nothing.

She glanced over her shoulder and watched the little house disappear into the distance.

"We don't have much time." Miroku said as they hurried inside Sango's hut. He peeked outside the twine shade door as Inuyasha set Kagome down next to Sango and the others hiding in the hut.

"What does ye plan to do?" Kaede inquired fearfully.

"I'm not sure yet." Inuyasha said. Kagome grasped his hand, desperate not to let him go. It suddenly became dark in the hut as the light outside faded, a gust of wind roared and the suppressing aura was over them again.

"Uh- Inuyasha…" Miroku warned.

"Sango, if it gets bad, take as many people as you can and leave to someplace safer. Got it? Go through the woods. Keep Kagome with you." Inuyasha ordered.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called again. "We need to go!"

"Kagome, it's alright. It'll be fine." He kissed her on the forehead and stepped towards the door. Kagome tried to follow. Inuyasha held out his hand to stop her, "Kagome- stay here. I mean it. You can't help here." He looked her sternly in the eye, then turned and bolted outside, leaving Kagome staring blankly at the empty space. She hurried over to the window and peered out.

Inuyasha and Miroku rushed out into the field outside the village. The black clouds were swirling in an ominous funnel above.

Inuyasha's attacks couldn't defeat him. _Maybe_ a combination of his Backlash Wave and her spiritual arrow would be able to scar Kerberos, but even that seemed unlikely. Inuyasha had gone off to fight for her once with no knowledge of what he was up against. And now he was doing it again.

Kagome felt the guilt plague her. For a while now, she had known her attacker's identity, what he was capable of, and had reason to believe he couldn't be destroyed by regular means. Yet, she had kept her friends in the dark because she didn't think she understood it enough.

She certainly understood now.

Her stomach felt sick. Kerberos had given her nightmares, he got inside her head, fed her information, but didn't give any indication of how to stop him. Why would he? It seemed already hard enough for him to kill her without his opponents knowing exactly how to win against him.

His only weakness…seemed to be her.

A ferocious demon from the underworld, the spawn of hell itself, was afraid of her…

* * *

To be continued...


	42. Playing Fate

**42 - Playing fate**

The scene now unfolding before the village of Edo was becoming increasingly grim.

The sky had morphed into a black hole that churned with dark clouds. Lightning snaked across the sky, the wind roared, and the ground trembled like it was caught in an endless tremor. Inuyasha and Miroku braced themselves for the impending fight. Inuyasha armed with his sword, and Miroku with his staff. You couldn't tell by their faces, but both of them, especially Inuyasha, were unsure of what was going to happen. They waited intensely for the demon to show himself, keeping on full alert.

Then, the demon Kerberos appeared before them in the blink of an eye, suddenly there in front of them, grinning like he knew some dirty little secret.

"Hello again," he said huskily. His green eyes darted between Inuyasha and Miroku. "Is this it? Somehow I expected more of a welcoming committee than the boyfriend and a girly monk," he spat. "Talk about disappointment-"

"We're not here to make nice!" Inuyasha yelled angrily, cutting him off.

Kerberos paused and eyed Inuyasha's thumb slightly lift Tessaiga from its sheath. "So you're going to fight me huh?" Kerberos chuckled. "All for the safety of one helpless bitch? A reckless half-breed such as yourself should waste less of your time defending such scum and spend more time killing them off."

Inuyasha snarled viciously and stepped towards him.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Miroku put a firm hand on his shoulder and held him back.

"O-Oh, seems I struck a nerve," Kerberos said. "Tell me Inuyasha, is your girlfriend the type to beg for her life?"

Miroku decided to intervene before Kerberos could send Inuyasha over the edge. "You there, Kerberos, tell us why you come here. What is your business with Lady Kagome?"

"My _business_ you say?" Kerberos asked. He loudly cracked his knuckles. "Well you see, monk, Lady Kagome is the only one of her kind. She vanquished the Shikon no Tama and therefore possesses a sacred power incapable of any other entity in the world. You see, monk, it is Lady Kagome's spiritual existence that is preventing me from getting what I want. And what is want is _power_." He licked his thin lips and smiled. "Any questions?"

Miroku realized there wasn't any talking him out of it. Whatever he was planning, it required Kagome gone. Miroku looked over at Inuyasha, whose expression read a mixture of mindless rage and fear. Leaning in closer to him, he whispered, "Inuyasha, how long do you think you can hold him off?"

"As long as I have to," Inuyasha said.

Kerberos raised an eyebrow. "I can hear you there!" He yelled shrilly. "Don't worry Inuyasha, I'll take good care of your beloved Kagome in _hell_. I'm sure she'll learn to _love me_." He showed his sharp teeth in a taunting smile.

Miroku regarded Inuyasha next to him, he was shaking with rage. "Inuyasha, you have to stay under control. He's trying to get you mad. Whatever you do, don't transform." Miroku whispered harshly.

Inuyasha grinded his teeth together, "I could kill him with my bare hands if I did," he growled.

"No. You'll lose. He's a manipulator of the mind, he's doing it now. And in your demon state, he'll most likely be able to control you. _Don't transform_." Miroku ordered.

"What's wrong Inuyasha? You seen a bit frustrated!" Kerberos smirked as Inuyasha growled low under his breath - he couldn't take holding back anymore.

"Yeah, because when someone kills you, you're supposed to stay dead!" Inuyasha lunged forward and lashed his sharp claws at Kerberos, who seemed to have been expecting the move. Swiftly dodging Inuyasha, Kerberos propelled upwards and hovered above them. Lightning lit up the sky behind him.

"You imbecile!" he bellowed down to them as the wind increased again. "You thought you killed me? I cross the boundary between earth and hell by my own will. Death is impermeable to me!"

Inuyasha glanced to the hut up the hill, hoping Sango would be smart enough to figure out it was time to escape from the village. He imagined he was going to slowly start losing control of the situation, and when he did, he didn't want anyone other than the enemy close by.

"Keh, do I look like I care?" Inuyasha scoffed, drawing Tessaiga.

Kerberos chuckled, "Fine, it's your funeral," he produced his own blade from thin air, showing that he accepted the challenge.

Inuyasha attacked first, going at Kerberos with Adamant Barrage and then Zengetsuha Blade, and missing every time.

And so the battle began…

Kagome glanced over at Sango who was looking out the other window of the hut. Her hand fumbled with the wedding band on her finger. She was scared too, scared for her husband and her children. Inuyasha wasn't the only one facing it this time, it was all of them. Miroku and Inuyasha especially were putting themselves right in harms way. Kagome looked back to the children cowering in the corner of the hut, Rin, and Sango's three little ones. Kaede sang a soft lullaby to them while the battle raged on in the background. Kagome realized she had a choice to make:

If she obeyed, Inuyasha and Miroku would continue to fight it alone. If she waited any longer, they could lose, and Kerberos would attack the village until he got what he wanted.

If she stayed where she was, hardly anyone would blame her for letting someone stronger fight for her. No one could be angry with her for being understandably afraid of what she wasn't prepared to face. So she could let the fear consume her, but then Kerberos would win, and she wasn't about to let it happen.

* * *

To be continued...


	43. Protect

**43 - Protect**

Inuyasha barely avoided another blow to his chest as Kerberos lunged at him again. Kerberos had him on a locked target. He kept up with him relentlessly, not giving a second of hesitation as he aimed for the half-demon's heart. When he attacked again, Inuyasha caught Kerberos's fist in his hand. Simultaneously, Kerberos twisted it loose and latched his grip around Inuyasha's neck. He lifted him up off the ground. While murmuring a quiet incantation, Kerberos prepared to strike the final blow to the heart. Inuyasha wreathed in pain as Kerberos chuckled. "It's a torture curse. Rather amusing to use on half-breeds who don't know when to quit," he spat.

Inuyasha screamed and tried to break himself free, but he couldn't gain control. It felt like the pressure in his head was going to make him spontaneously combust.

Miroku, seeing Inuyasha immobilized, took his chance to attack in a blind spot. Using a retention spell he had all but perfected, he attempted to limit Kerberos' movement. Kerberos, sensing the change in his demonic energy, dropped Inuyasha to the ground and came at Miroku. The two darted quickly around each other, Miroku being able to at least keep up, until Kerberos got behind him and dragged his claws across Miroku's back, shoulder to shoulder. Miroku toppled to the ground, catching himself on one knee.

"You make this too easy!" Kerberos laughed. He created another blade and turned towards the monk. Miroku held his injured shoulder, trying not to crumble to the immense pain.

"Miroku move!" Inuyasha yelled at him, struggling to get up.

Miroku prepared himself for the attack, his staff braced across his body.

"Not so intimidating without our wind tunnel now are we?" Kerberos smiled wickedly. His dark robes billowed slowly in the waves of his own immense energy. He crouched forward, ready to pounce. "It's over-"

"Kagome! NO! Come back!" The shout pierced the air. Kerberos stopped his advance. His head tilted to the side slightly, interpreting the sound.

Inuyasha spun his head around. Kagome was running from the hut, Sango following after her. They were headed down the hill and further out into the field. The blood drained from his face. He looked back at Kerberos who had paused to look over his shoulder and eye the two women.

He stumbled to his feet and raised Tessaiga. "ZANGETSUHA!" Kerberos snapped his head back in Inuyasha's direction and sped forward, grabbing Tessaiga with his bare hands. In a wave of energy, he sent Inuyasha flying backwards. He laughed maniacally as he turned back to Kagome.

"Time to cease all this boring fighting. _I want my target_." He mumbled to himself.

The earth was wet and sloppy out in the field as Kagome and Sango struggled to run; Sango trying to keep up, and Kagome trying to go faster.

"Kagome! Stop!" Sango cried desperately. Kagome willed her legs further. _Please don't follow me Sango. All of this is my fault._

Kagome had gotten too far ahead. Sango looked over to Miroku and Inuyasha. Miroku looked injured, Inuyasha was lying in his own crater, and the demon Kerberos was watching them intently.

"Kagome!" Sango stopped running, not sure she could do anything for her friend.

Lightning cracked above them and lit up the field for a moment. The trees leaned away from the wind, seeming to bow to the dark-robed figure on the other end of the battle arena.

Kagomemade it into the middle of the field and stopped. She took a deep breath and turned towards Kerberos. She was empty handed, weaponless against a demon of immense power. She knew it, too. But while she was sitting in Sango's hut, she had remembered something Inuyasha had told her. There was no guaranteeing it would work, but she had to try.

Kerberos studied Kagome suspiciously. She stood in the middle of the field, seemingly sacrificing herself to him. He grinned widely, "Peeerfect."

Taking advantage of the distraction, Miroku ran forward, stabbing the base of his staff into Kerberos's neck. The skin disintegrated around it, then sunk back in and trapped the staff in his flesh. Kerberos slammed his arm back into Miroku, sending him to the ground.

"I'm through with you! I'll suck you all into hell in an instant!" He pulled the staff from his neck, the flesh charring from the contact with the purified object. "My Lord can not take reign until _she_ is gone."

Kerberos took a few steps forward, then picked up the pace until he was speeding forward on a crash course with Kagome on the far side of the field.

Kagome didn't brace herself. She let her energy flow and remembered what she was standing there for. Her friends needed her.

Her hands lifted in front of her, fingertips trembling. She had seen it work only once before, a shield manifested by Kikyo, whose powers she had inherited. Kagome had seen many barriers, but this kind of energy was conjured instantly, in the form of a shield. If the priestess before her could do it, and a barrier of her own aura had protected Inuyasha…maybe...

_Yes. I can do this. I feel stronger than I was three years ago. That day when I went after Inuyasha and Kerberos in the forest, I could feel it, and I can feel it now. I need the power, and I can summon it. _

A purplish glow radiated about her. She focused intently at the demon rushing towards her. A grin slowly spread across his face as he aimed his blade forward. By the way he smirked, showing his sharp teeth, it was obvious he already thought he'd won.

She could see Sango running to her again. Inuyasha was yelling her name.

_Inuyasha can't kill him, Kerberos isn't susceptible to death. But he is subject to my purification. The only way we can win is if I do something. He's afraid of me, he doesn't show it, but he is. It's because he knows I can stop him, I'm a threat to whatever he's scheming. He's hurt Inuyasha, and he'll hurt more people if I let him…_

She saw the flash of green in Kerberos' eyes. This nightmarish stranger was suddenly a deadly reality. But she remembered how, dream or not, her friends would be there for her when it was over. She let her memories empower her and fill her mind with courage and determination. Her eyes closed and she concentrated. _**If **__I let him… _she thought.

…_And I won't._

A bright wall of aura divided the sky, it stretched as high as the tree tops and far across the field to Sango. It manifested directly in front of Kagome at the last second and Kerberos threw himself into a shield.

Sparks flew like hot metals striking against each other. Purplish aura traveled up Kerberos's arm like an array of lightning bolts as his blade collided with the barrier. Kerberos leapt backwards. He studied Kagome and the barrier that separated them with a furrowed brow.

All was silent for a moment. Kerberos contemplated his next move, Inuyasha and Miroku remained stunned, Sango slowly stood and marveled at the wall of energy before her.

Kerberos then lunged forward again, shifting his weight into his blade. But it did not pierce through. Kagome concentrated intently, trying not to think so much about how close he was to her, careful not to let the fear weaken her. She slowly opened her eyes, staring half-lidded at the soggy grass, then lifting her gaze until she made eye contact with the furious Kerberos.

He glared back at her, then seemed to gain a hold of himself. He cocked his head slightly and began stalking back and forth, resuming his mind game. Kagome watched him carefully, keeping her shield up.

"Tell me, Kagome, how does one such as yourself come to perfect such a incredible technique?" he inquired.

Kagome remained silent.

"Or, have you not perfected it? This wouldn't be the first time you've practiced by any chance, would it?" he chuckled when she said nothing. Meanwhile, Inuyasha helped Miroku up and the two of them cautiously made their way towards Kagome, neither of them believing what they were seeing.

"No? So you feel prepared if I do something unexpected and you think you'll be able to stop me hmm?"

Kagome furrowed her brow, the sound of her racing heart suddenly becoming apparent to her. The single drip of sweat on her brow distracted her for a moment. She also thought of how Kikyo ran out of energy to support a shield for very long. Fear began to set in. She glanced at Kerberos, who was smirking confidently back at her. He was putting thoughts in her head, trying to break her focus. But she couldn't concentrate on blocking him out with the shield up, and Inuyasha wasn't with her to help her overcome it.

Kerberos nodded and slowly made his way forward.

Inuyasha could tell something was wrong, he hurriedly sat the injured Miroku down on the edge of the field and rushed towards Kagome.

Just as he called out her name, Kerberos lifted his blade and attacked the ground, sending earth flying in every direction. Kagome couldn't see him through the debris, she thought he was trying to go through the ground and up underneath her. Out of panic, she lost her concentration and the shield evaporated.

Kerberos was an inch from her face in that very instant. Kagome screamed and produced another shield just as Kerberos made a wall of energy of his own. Kagome flew backwards, landing on her back on the ground. She cringed and rolled over, stunned from the forceful impact. Kerberos was right over her. He raised his blade to finish the deed.

Inuyasha sped forward and collided into Kerberos' side, knocking him to the ground. Sango ran in after him and retrieved Kagome, carrying her back towards Miroku. Kagome struggled in her arms, "No! Don't take me away!" she yelled. "I have to help him!"

Inuyasha aimed a slice with his claws at Kerberos' neck, missed, and was pinned in the mud.

"You only made this harder on yourself," Kerberos murmured. "Demons who fall for humans don't deserve to live." Kagome screamed Inuyasha's name in the background. Pleading Kerberos to spare his life. Inuyasha struggled against the choke hold, but it was a weight even he couldn't lift. The blade gleamed as Kerberos angled it above Inuyasha's throat. "Hades will praise me for riding the world of this pathetic excuse of a monster."

A hand suddenly caught Kerberos' wrist. "Pathetic indeed," a low voice said. "How is it that I'm gone barely a month and I return to find you in this predicament, _little brother_."

* * *

That's right, one cliff-hanger after the other! The next chaper will conclude the epic battle! Who will join the fight? Will Kerberos be defeated? Will Kagome use her newfound powers? All will be revealed!


	44. Settling dust

I'm sorry this took so long, my apologies to all my wonderful readers. This is not the FINAL chapter, but the conclusion of the epic battle between good and evil. It is finally done. Ur welcome.

…_A hand suddenly caught Kerberos' wrist. "Pathetic indeed," a low voice said. "How is it that I'm gone barely a month and I return to find you in this predicament, little brother."_

**#44 - Settling dust**

Kerberos froze for a moment, then shifted his weight on Inuyasha's chest and turned to look behind him. "Ah, well if it isn't Lord Sesshoumaru," he said. "Just like your father to show up just in time."

Sesshoumaru clenched his fist tighter around Kerberos' wrist, it cracked loudly. Kerberos didn't even flinch.

"But how unlike you to protect your own flesh and blood, Sesshoumaru. Since when do you acknowledge this insect as your brother?" Kerberos said as he crushed his foot down heavier on Inuyasha's rib cage. The ground sank in around him and Inuyasha coughed from the pressure on his chest.

"What gave you the idea I'm protecting him?" Sesshoumaru said indifferently.

"Oh?" Kerberos's green eyes flickered to the hut at the top of the hill. "That Rin girl huh? She's a cute one. I used her to deliver a message for me," he sneered.

Sesshoumaru's grip tightened again. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Kerberos chuckled evilly. "As it turns out… _everyone's worst nightmare_," he said smugly.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Kerberos, seeming to evaluate his opponent. In one swift movement, he unsheathed Toukijin and swung for Kerberos' shoulder. The attack grazed Kerberos' arm on account of quick thinking, but Sesshoumaru was fast and relentless. In a second attack with his sword, Sesshoumaru took the arm off in one foul swoop.

Kerberos staggered backwards, cursing aloud as a foamy substance flowed from his wound.

"You forget who you're fighting," Sesshoumaru warned. "I'm not as easily out-run as a half-breed." He spoke in his usual monotone, as if he were bored.

Kerberos glowered back at him. "And I'm not as easily defeated," he spat. A new arm materialized in the place of the missing one instantaneously. Kerberos clenched and unclenched his new fist. There was a look in his eye that made him seem eager to fight Sesshoumaru. Then, he paused and looked over at Kagome, who was struggling against Miroku's sturdy grip to get to the wounded Inuyasha. Kerberos' eyes flicked back to Sesshoumaru. "However…" he began. "My purpose here has nothing to do with you."

Suddenly, Kerberos was in front of Miroku. He pushed him backwards and before anyone could react, Kerberos had Kagome pinned to him, a long blade to her throat.

No one moved.

"Lets see, what to do," Kerberos snickered. "Should I take this to a more private location or should I finish it right here and now," he pressed the edge of the blade closer. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat.

"You came here for her?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"That's right," Kerberos snapped. "Dead or alive, preferably dead."

"What value does she have to you?" He asked sternly.

"That's a story for another day," Kerberos began inching backwards. Kagome struggled but stopped when the blade grazed her skin. "I'm sure this won't be the last we see of each other, revenge has a way of bringing people together again," he grinned. Everyone there on the field tensed. Inuyasha had managed to stand and was glaring intensely at Kerberos, his blood boiled and his heart was pounding beneath his sore rib cage. He could tell Kerberos was running out of patience.

Kagome glanced down at Kerberos' arm that trapped her firmly against him. The skin was turning black and ashy where he was in contact with her.

She looked back up and, for a long moment, made eye contact with Inuyasha. He thought she was trying to convey something to him, he leaned forward, preparing to stop Kerberos at all costs.

Then Kagome's hand dropped to her side and the shield reappeared, sending Kerberos flying backwards. Inuyasha swooped in at incredible speed and grabbed Kagome as Sesshoumaru rushed forward in the same instant and engaged Kerberos with Toukijin.

The sound of battle reengaged. Inuyasha held Kagome tightly against him as he sped away from the ongoing war. His heart still pounded rapidly from the close encounter with disaster.

"Kagome, this is too dangerous. Get out of here!" Inuyasha ordered as he stopped in front of Miroku and Sango.

"No, I can't let you fight it alone! I need to stay and help," she replied sternly. Inuyasha acted as if he hadn't heard her.

"Sango, take her and get out. NOW." Sango glanced between the two of them, supporting a wounded Miroku over her shoulder.

"I said NO!" Kagome yelled, placing her hands on his chest and shoving him as hard as she could. "You can't _make_ me leave!"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said through his teeth. "_Clearly_, this is about you! You being here is not helping. It's exposing our weakness so you _need to leave_!" The clanging of swords sounded behind them.

"Exposing our!-" Kagome gaped. "Just because I'm who he's after doesn't mean I should run away! I'm the weak link, is _that _what you're saying?"

"Um, guys…" Sango interrupted nervously. "Maybe this isn't the time to argue-"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Inuyasha yelled back. "I'm saying you're _my_ weakness!"

The ground trembled and Kagome had to grab onto him to keep from falling over. She regained her balance and looked back at him intently. "Because you love me right? _Right_? So why would you want me anywhere else than by your side? Where we can help each other, _protect_ each other." Inuyasha clenched his teeth together, unable to argue further with his threat senses on overload.

Just then, Sesshoumaru skidded to a stop in front of them, nearly losing his footing. His usual straight-faced demeanor was frustrated and tense. Kerberos hovered in the air above, dark clouds churning in a funnel around him. The demonic aura grew stronger still.

Sesshoumaru, without taking his focus off Kerberos, asked the group, "How is it that you came to know this demon?" He barred his fangs in disgust.

"He just _showed up_." Inuyasha scoffed, pushing Kagome behind him.

"What did you _do_?" Sesshoumaru asked with heavy suspicion is his tone.

"Nothing! The bastard's got it in for Kagome!"

Kerberos' voice suddenly bellowed down to them. "I am the guardian to the gates of the underworld. Hades is my master. He has sent me to claim what is his. He wants Naraku's soul, but he cannot obtain it as the last wish on the sacred jewel sealed Naraku away," he pointed a long finger at Kagome. "You were never meant to leave that dark place. You were meant to be slain by Inuyasha within the demon Naraku."

Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he remembered the day he lost control and nearly killed Kagome. The day that plagued him for three long years. How was it any of Kerberos' business as to whether they got out alive? They weren't dead, so they weren't the underworld's property. _Kagome _wasn't the underworld's property.

Kagome, meanwhile, at last understood Kerberos' motives, though it didn't bring her any comfort. Her arrow ended up sending Naruku into oblivion. When the jewel was destroyed, Naraku didn't go to the underworld, her wish purified his soul; a soul that apparently belonged to someone else.

The ground suddenly began to violently crack open and heat simmered in the air as if hell itself was erupting. Inuyasha gathered the others and retreated further down the field to a safer distance from the collapsing earth.

"Those who defy death will pay." Kerberos' voice had changed, as if many voices were speaking at the same time. "The souls you stole must be returned."

Then, in a horrific display, Kerberos' limbs and torso began to morph and expand.

Random appendages grew from the skin and Kerberos was lost in a mass of flesh. Inuyasha and the others stared in disbelief, secretly fearing that the battle before them was becoming increasingly hopeless. A ear-shattering roar split through the air. The new and transformed Kerberos was a dog-like creature with three heads, a mane of snakes, and a serpents tail.

The hell hound of Hades.

"Miroku, we need to get the villagers out of here!" Sango's voice was almost completely drowned out over the sound of the wretched snarling that escaped Kerberos' mouth.

"You guys go! Keep them safe!" Kagome yelled back as she watched Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru head in to attack Kerberos.

Miroku nodded at Sango and started quickly up the hill, stumbling slightly from his injury. A pair of Kerberos' pitch black eyes watched them carefully. Kagome stepped between him and her two friends heading up the hill.

"Oh no you don't," she said, raising her hands to create another shield. "Keep your eye on the target you coward."

Kagome tried not to think about what she would do if she couldn't find a way out of this one. If _any_thing were to happen to _any_one, her spirit would be crushed. She hoped that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha combined would be able to hold Kerberos off long enough until she could figure out what to do.

She was startled when Inuyasha tumbled to a stop in front of her. He lifted himself back into a crouch, leaning on his sword. "He just won't die will he- HEY!" Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder and saw Miroku and Sango heading up over the hill. "WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY GOING!" he shouted, bewildered.

"They're getting the villagers out." Kagome said as she produced a shield in front of them. "This has gotten way out of hand."

Inuyasha stared at her incredibly for a moment, impressed by her ability to conjure the shields so quickly.

"When did you learn to do that?" he asked, finally succumbing to his curiosity.

"I didn't know I could," Kagome answered.

Inuyasha sighed and walked towards her, "Well I can't have you protecting us the entire time. At some point battle this has to end."

Kagome directed her attention to Kerberos, who was snarling and lashing about, making the ground crack and crumble. Sesshoumaru made attack after attack with Toukijin, his efforts proving vain when the injured flesh just kept healing itself instantaneously.

"I couldn't agree more but…_how_?" Kagome replied.

Inuyasha turned his back to her, he furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth because he knew she wouldn't like what he was about to say.

"What if I…transformed?" Inuyasha said hesitantly.

"What?" Kagome yelled, almost rivaling Kerberos' loud howling. Then she repeated the word "no" about ten times.

"Nothing we're trying is working!" Inuyasha argued.

"Why doesn't Sesshoumaru transform! Why doesn't he use Tenseiga!"

Kerberos' serpent-like tail suddenly came smashing into the ground with a thunderous crash. It was as if all the mines in a mine field had blown up at once. Sesshoumaru fell back, dodging several masses of earth that dislodged around him.

"Don't move!" Kagome yelled and generated a new shield that encircled the three of them. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru automatically relaxed within the priestess's protective dome. The pure spiritual energy calmed their demonic auras.

Kagome's heart beat wildly as she thought of Inuyasha having to transform to save them. "Sesshoumaru, why don't you transform and fight him? I don't want to take the risk of letting Inuyasha do it."

Inuyasha made a face like the wind had just been knocked out of him. "WHAT?" he hollered.

"My transforming wouldn't help anything." Sesshoumaru continued stoically. "Two giant beasts attacking each other would surely flatten your mediocre village. When I'm in this form I'm more likely of getting past his defense. Big things fall harder."

Inuyasha groaned, "Kagome, the only reason behind what happened before was because Magatsuhi controlled me. That can't happen here. I'll remain myself like I did when Kana died!"

Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked at Sesshoumaru, Tenseiga still tucked tightly in its sheath. _Magatsuhi… _Kagome thought. _Sesshoumaru killed him with Tenseiga, so why does he not use it now? If Inuyasha uses Tessaiga like he did before… _She gasped as she realized what needed to be done.

She stepped up next to Inuyasha. "Sesshoumaru," she called. "You need to use Tenseiga, not Toukijin!"

Inuyasha sputtered and snapped at her. "Would you stop talking to him! He doesn't care what you tell him! He's more stubborn than me!"

Sesshoumaru kept his back to her but responded. "It wouldn't do any good. Kerberos is in physical form. I can't defeat him with Tenseiga. I might as well try hitting him with a wooden stick."

"He's a presence from the underworld. It'll work, trust me." Kagome said determinedly. "He's like fighting Naraku! Don't you guys get it? It doesn't matter how many times you hit him, he'll just keep bouncing back! You have to attack from the inside out."

Kerberos abruptly charged at the three of them, lunging with his multiple heads at the shield. Kagome cringed at the strange feeling that engulfed her, like electricity was rushing through her veins. Inuyasha drew Tessaiga and yelled at her to take the shield down, fearful the attack was hurting her. Instead, Kagome used as much energy as she could to push the shield out, repelling Kerberos backwards.

But he rose to his feet again and roared viciously. Debris flew up into the air like someone had just tipped a snow globe upside down. Before Kagome could stop them, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha shot forward, swords drawn.

"That woman of yours seems to make her own trouble." Sesshoumaru remarked.

Inuyasha smirked as Tessaiga began to glow black from Zengetsuha. "Heh, you're just jealous your love life isn't this exciting." He then leapt upwards past Kerberos' three heads, swinging Tessaiga above his shoulders to strike down upon Kerberos.

Sesshoumaru scowled and darted away, taking a swing with Toukijin at Kerberos' lower half. His front right leg suddenly gone, Kerberos collapsed forward. His heads lashed wildly as he careened towards the ground. Inuyasha felt Kerberos falling and stabbed Tessaiga into the skull of one of Kerberos' heads. He held on as Kerberos struck the ground - the force of impact made the ground shake.

When Inuyasha tried to withdraw the blade, it wouldn't move. Kerberos' flesh seemed to be absorbing Tessaiga. As he tugged on the blade, trying to get it to budge, one of Kerberos's other heads rose up behind him, barring its fangs.

Inuyasha cursed to himself. "Come on ya damn thing, MOVE!"

Just as Kerberos lunged for him, Inuyasha pulled Tessaiga free and swung with Zengetsuha blade. The demon head was split in half. Inuyasha retreated to solid ground, wondering if his attack had actually left a lasting mark. However within seconds, the tendons reconnected and the head was whole again. Inuyasha stared in disbelief from the ground below. "You've gotta be kidding me," he mumbled.

Then, Kerberos was suddenly on his feet, having regenerated the missing appendages. With a swing of his snake-like tail, he knocked Inuyasha backwards. Though he managed to hold onto Tessaiga, Inuyasha could barely move from the impact. Kagome made a shield around him from across the field to protect him from a second attack. She watched the chaos before her and tried to think of a way to get Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru to listen to her. Of all the times they had to be stubborn…

Kerberos snarled as he fended off an attack from Toukijin and picked up momentum towards Kagome.

"Worry about yourself, wench!" Kerberos rasped.

Kagome yelped in surprise and braced herself for the contact with her protective shield. Kerberos began an unrelenting assault on the barrier. The constant attack was overpowering. Kagome kept the shield up, but felt it weakening.

Inuyasha yelled Kagome's name and stumbled to his feet. He rushed full speed toward Kerberos and his beloved, he felt the demon inside him trying to push its way out. Readying blades of blood, he sheathed Tessaiga and prepared to finish the fight barehanded.

Just then, Miroku's voice broke through the pandemonium. Using Sacred Sutras, he warded Kerberos off. Inuyasha slowed his advance and stopped along side him.

"Good thing you showed up," he said, relieved. "You okay?"

"Yes, I can handle him for now. But I hope Kagome can figure some way to end this fight."

Inuyasha glanced behind him to Kagome who had knelt down to the ground. He fell back to guard her as Kerberos thrashed about. Though he wanted to help her up, he could still feel the presence of the furious demon within him. He couldn't take the chance. Instead he stood defensively between her and Kerberos, ready to attack if needed.

"Are you hurt, Kagome?" he asked.

"No. I'm fine," she replied, though she was a bit shaken.

Sango ran up to them, bow and arrows in hand. "Sorry we took so long, I thought you'd need these," she panted as she helped Kagome to her feet. "Do you think you'll be able to hit him?"

Kagome carefully took the bow and arrows from Sango and studied Kerberos for a moment. "I do, but if for some reason it doesn't work, I don't know that there are any other options. We might _lose_." Kagome felt legitimate fear as she realized that she wasn't entirely confident they could walk away from this.

Sango nodded and braced Hirikotsu across her body, fully prepared to use it.

"Sango, you're not-" Kagome started nervously.

"If it will keep my friends and my children safe, yes," Sango interrupted. "Don't you worry Kagome, I know what I'm doing." Miroku retreated and approached the group.

"Your fight is our fight, Kagome. As always," he said.

Kagome nodded somberly then turned towards Kerberos. The serpent hound shook his heads violently to try and negate the effects of Miroku's sutras. "Inuyasha- You need to use Dragon Scaled Tessaiga to absorb Kerberos' demonic aura! Sesshoumaru needs to hit him with Tenseiga!"

"Alright," Inuyasha growled as he hunched down slightly. "It's time to finish this." He drew Tessaiga and held it steady. Dragon scales covered its surface. "Oi, Sesshoumaru!" he hollered.

"What." Sesshoumaru snapped as he narrowly avoided getting caught in one of Kerberos' fierce jaws.

"Do as Kagome says and use Tenseiga already!"

Sesshoumaru felt Tetsuaiga tremble. Reluctantly, he listened and pulled it from it's sheath. With Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both ready with Tenseiga and Tessaiga, Kagome focused on the target before her. She tried not to cringe as loud cracks came from the earth and a chilling deathly sound that seemed to sing from beneath the surface burrowed in her ears.

With the tip of her arrow, she pricked her finger just enough to smear blood on the point. Once Kagome sensed Dragon Scaled Tessaiga begin to absorb Kerberos' demonic energy, she drew back the draw string of the bow at her side then lifted it to point directly at Kerberos. As two of the heads lashed about, snarling and biting at their other opponents, one glared intensely at her and barred it fangs. Kagome took a deep breath and gazed down her arm to the tip of the arrow. She steadied her shot, and released.

The arrow took off like a moving wall of energy, combining at just the right moment with Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga attack. The blast of spiritual and demonic power soared on a direct path and struck Kerberos.

The eroding earth paused, the howling wind slowed. Suddenly, it was like Kerberos was getting sucked back into the underworld. The earth dipped in and he began sinking at high speed. Kagome quickly put a shield up around her friends and stayed on the alert until Kerberos disappeared entirely beneath the surface.

Instantly, the ominous aura dissipated and the weather returned to normal, leaving the group standing in the vacant field, on a sunny spring day. It was like someone just flipped a light switch on in the sky. The gaping hole in the ground was gone, like it was never there. The roaring wind was silent.

The tension slowly eased away as the five of them relaxed. Kagome released the barrier around them. Sesshoumaru sighed irritably and sheathed Tenseiga, then turned to stride away, ignoring the others standing beside him. Sango embraced Miroku while Inuyasha stayed next to Kagome, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

As he kneeled at her side and asked her if she was alright, a strange feeling overwhelmed her, like she wanted to burst out laughing at the almost silly question. She restrained herself because she realized that would be weird, they might think she'd gone insane.

The fact she wasn't dead was surprising enough. How many people take on a death god and live? Most young adults her age would have lost their minds years ago if they had lived the life she had. Demons and time traveling wells and magic jewelry; guys who love dead girls, spiritual powers, and responsibilities ten times the average human's stress capacity; all while still trying to be a normal high school student.

But yeah… she was alright.


	45. Inuyasha

**45 - InuYasha**

What a strange feeling, the calm after the storm. Even when its all over and you know you can relax, you remain tense and hyperaware as if the lightning could crack again and the storm would return.

However, _this_ storm was over. And as I held Kagome in my arms, silently thanking whatever higher deity had chosen in our favor, I finally let the calm wash over me. I let the anger, fear, the paranoia and bloodlust melt away for they weren't needed anymore.

Kagome was safe again, that's all that mattered. Not the fact that she nearly killed herself trying to save me, or that Sesshoumaru was now glaring daggers in our direction, obviously blaming the wrong people.

I scolded Kagome for not listening to me when I told her to go somewhere safe and glared daggers back at Sesshoumaru, just for the sake of it.

As the five of us headed back toward the village, Rin came running out of the hut to happily greet Sesshoumaru, Miroku and Sango embraced their children and my arm was wrapped tight around Kagome's waist. A smile automatically curved my lip.

It occurred to me that in that moment, I was truly, sincerely, where I belonged.

I haven't ever known exactly what I wanted. First I thought I wanted to be a full demon, then I wanted Kikyou who made me think I wanted to be human, then I wanted revenge and a conglomeration of a bunch of other things. Now that I finally know what I want for the rest of my life, she's taken away from me for three years only to return and be nearly killed. Should I take is as a warning? I almost lost Kagome _again, _all because of Naraku and he's seemingly never-ending legacy. Maybe it was time to put aside my pride, my reservations for the fact that she's only 18, or whatever's been holding me back and just ask the damn question already.

That's why the next morning, when Kagome and I woke up, I suggested we _not_ go back to the village. We walked out around the lake; the sky was clear, the air was warm, and Kagome was by my side. While she was looking across the lake, babbling happily, I stepped back and kneeled down on one knee. For some reason my stomach was fluttering like crazy.

After a moment, Kagome looked to her side and noticed I was gone. A confused expression came to her face, then she turned to me. She kind-of froze, then a timid smile curved her lips. I reached out my hand, taking hers in mine. Her deep brown eyes gazed back at me, hopeful and teary. For a moment I forgot what I was going to say.

"Uh, I don't have a ring on me…" I said. "But I'll go insane if I wait any longer."

Then, with my eyes fixated on her, I asked what I think I was meant to ask since the day I met her,

"Kagome? Will you marry me?"


	46. Kagome

**46 - Kagome**

Okay, so maybe I was being a little… reckless. But you're not supposed to think about these things, sometimes they just happen and your reaction needs to be fast and unpredictable or don't bother reacting at all. Inuyasha knows that, he's practically the poster boy for wild and reckless decisions! But I think he's still mad at me for basically throwing myself at a rabid demon… he'll get over it.

I mean, how can I help it? Out of all the things he's done that have made _me_ freak out of my mind; fighting without a weapon, going off alone, overworking himself, am I supposed to feel guilty?

How could I go about sitting in that hut while the sounds of a death battle echoed through my head? A battle that raged on because of me. Big surprise that I couldn't help myself.

Look at all the great figures of history - who in the feudal era have yet to exist - who would they become without action? What would have they changed if they sat in a hut and twiddled their thumbs while chaos occurred everywhere around them?

It's crazy, it's ridiculous and ignorant to think that I would act as hopeless as a stagnant puddle of water! Honestly, it seems Inuyasha still sees me as his jewel detector sometimes, not the woman who completes him.

I explained to him why I consciously decided to disobey him. He tossed his head back and made that scoffing sound he always makes and told me, "Well I didn't think you'd go planting yourself in the middle of a battle with the demon trying to kill you Kagome."

He's lucky I don't plow the rice fields with his face as punishment for the insult! Of course I would! And if we ever have children I'll make sure to tell them, "Kids, no matter what daddy says, if mommy decides to kick demon butt, then that's what mommy will do."

So there you have it. I don't care if he doesn't want me to fight anymore. Ever since I came here several years ago, I've been fighting: fighting for my life, fighting for Inuyasha's trust and love, fighting for women's rights, friendship, peace, balance, justice, my sanity, so why wouldn't I fight for all those things again if I had to?

Any self respecting person would, so I don't see why Inuyasha has such a problem with it, but in answer to his question…._yes_.


	47. Beginning Forever

**Beginning Forever**

There are many things in this world that don't last forever: power, money, beauty. And then of course all the tangible things that degrade and wash away. Only beings who sell their souls away may live forever, but even then, what's forever worth?

Though there is one thing that I have seen last, a magical feeling called love. Love was once something I was pretty skeptical about, something I thought I'd I have to find on my own. In the end, love ended up withstanding time, and love found me. It found me in the most unpredictable, unusual and most amazing way. Even now, I can't believe how far I've come because of love.

I think I have found what my real purpose was in coming here. It wasn't to defeat demons, or end crisis, or vanquish a jewel. All those things were side acts, checkpoints along the journey. Everything I did pointed to him. Like a compass that keeps you going in circles.

I was born to meet Inuyasha, and I am with him because of love. As long as I live, my heart beats for him. He is the one I would cross oceans for, and surpass time for. Something that strong never dies.

Until death do us part, Inuyasha and I will remain in our piece of forever.

**FIN**

Thank you to all my wonderful readers for supporting me throughout. I've greatly appreciated your feedback. I look forward to posting my next story! Much love- Hillary


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